The Beer Police

**Catfish** · 01-03-2006, 03:59 PM

I was at a minor family get together a few weeks ago. I brought out a couple of 22s of home brew and pour them for the fam to taste (mind you many of them have never had a chance to taste real beer before, beyond Assahi etc). Half were happy with the beer the other half were discussing how homebrewing is still illegal.

WHAT?!
For the last couple weeks I have been living in fear of the beer cops. It is illeagal to brew beer higher than 1%

. ....is...no, was. A little non-research (my brother in law says it's okay now) PROVES that I can sleep easy with out the beer police breaking down my door and drinking all my brew. I'm still going to keep it quiet... F that. I should put my beer into the annual tasting!

**DeRoux's Broux** · 01-03-2006, 04:37 PM

yea, that water torture thing would suck if they caught you!

**Catfish** · 01-03-2006, 04:54 PM

The one where they only let me drink water...?

**DeRoux's Broux** · 01-03-2006, 05:04 PM

ouch! even scarier. i was refering to the eye water torture (ya know, pry your lookers open and drip water into 'em 'til ya crack...)

**david_42** · 01-03-2006, 05:50 PM

Actually, they are more civilized than that, they use Happoshu (AKA "beer_taste alcohol").

According to a press release from Cooper's AU, the laws were changed in 2003 to allow homebrewing. I can't find the actual text of the law, but I can't read anything except American and 3rd grade German.

**Catfish** · 01-03-2006, 10:54 PM

I think hopposhu is defined as having less than 50% grain fermentables (instead they ferment old plastic bottles, judging by the taste). That crap is gawd-awful. Imagine budwieser powered by fusel alcohols, or NA beer mixed with nail polish remover. I'd actually prefer water.

Genghis77 · 01-03-2006, 11:37 PM

While brewing was illegal in Saudi Arabia, it was safe enough to do if you didn't get too blatant. Fact was the police would never search your home, even if you comitted murder. They would simply wait for you to come out and surrender, but induced it by cutting off utilities and waiting for your food to run out. But you were subject to arrest if you left your home with alcohol on your breath. The thing that got most into trouble was providing alcohol to Saudis or Muslims. But stuck with winemaking or converting NA beer. Only yeast was bread making yeasts. Stuck with those circumstances, wine was a better option. And plenty of fusels as brewing temperatures were generally 90F and higher. Another negative: You had to get a doctor's prescription to buy aspirin. So hangovers were no fun at all. Still we managed to party on weekends.

**DeRoux's Broux** · 01-04-2006, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Genghis77

While brewing was illegal in Saudi Arabia, it was safe enough to do if you didn't get too blatant. Fact was the police would never search your home, even if you comitted murder. They would simply wait for you to come out and surrender, but induced it by cutting off utilities and waiting for your food to run out. But you were subject to arrest if you left your home with alcohol on your breath. The thing that got most into trouble was providing alcohol to Saudis or Muslims. But stuck with winemaking or converting NA beer. Only yeast was bread making yeasts. Stuck with those circumstances, wine was a better option. And plenty of fusels as brewing temperatures were generally 90F and higher. Another negative: You had to get a doctor's prescription to buy aspirin. So hangovers were no fun at all. Still we managed to party on weekends.

hhhmmm? another place in the world i don't care to visit......

Genghis77 · 01-30-2006, 04:27 AM

Ah, but the income was good, housing free. Four vacations per year to just about anywhere in the world . And the first $85,000 income was tax free. That made the other stuff worth while.

Beer Snob · 02-01-2006, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catfish

The one where they only let me drink water...?

Ah no... water would be too gentle. This is the Beer police.... they are not that nice. That would be Budwieser.