Under 21 Question

To give some background, I just recently have been looking up more information about home brewing. I enjoy cooking, and understand that brewing is an art much like cooking. I also enjoy beer as much as the next beer lover. I am under the age of 21 which makes getting the good beer very hard, as I need to get a friend to take time to make a liquor store run for me, and even sometimes getting the cheaper stuff is hard.
Oh and I live in Oklahoma (BOOO AT 3.2% COLD BEER, yes anything over 3.2% much be sold at a liquor store and has to be sold warm).

So my main question is, if I go to a local brewery supply store, will they sell me a homebrewery kit even though I'm under 21? I realize there probably wouldn't be a problem ordering it online, but from this local store, the prices are more within in the range I want to spend to try out this hobby, and I won't have to pay outrageous shipping because of the weight.

Thanks for any input.

I was wondering this too a while back. Im 21, but Ive never been carded buying HBS. I dont think they could card you, since they aren't selling you anything with alcohol in it....Try it and see what they say, it cant hurt anything.

Tophe96 said:

I was wondering this too a while back. Im 21, but Ive never been carded buying HBS. I dont think they could card you, since they aren't selling you anything with alcohol in it....Try it and see what they say, it cant hurt anything.

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Legally, you have to be 21 to buy homebrew suplpies. My HBS has a sign to that affect behind the counter. I've never personally been carded, and I always do because I look young. Maybe their logic is that anyone under 21 wouldn't be going the homebrew route....heh, if there's still doubt, buy 5 gals. of apple cider, pitch some yeast, and you'll have hard cider in a couple weeks.....worked for us in school!

Normally homebrew shop guys are pretty cool about all that

it might be different in every state (espeally since the drink age is actually a state law its just that the feds says we'll take away your highway funding if you don't have it at 21) i know in wisconsin it isn't illleagal because i got it so my first was done right for my 21st. It's was that the people at the HBS didn't want to get in trouble with law suits ( since they could be liable).

I have been brewing since I was 17 or 18...can't remember. But I never had problems getting ingredients. Brew store dudes are generally seriously chill fellas. I'm suprised it's even technically illegal to sell ingredients to a minor. When things like fully automatic weapons are legal if purchased in "kit" form, what harm can some grain/yeast/etc cause?? Plus, I imagine you could use hops, malt, etc in cooking other than beer making.

The 21 year old drinking age is really stupid. Get yourself some ingredients and brew on, my friend. Once you brew some rad beer, the 21 law will seem even more stupid. Cheers!

(and fight the man )

thanks guys, I visited the local HBS and they seemed really cool...didnt see any signs about any age, and they didn't ever question me about my age. maybe its not illegal to sell the s*** to people under 21 in the state of oklahoma.

i just need to come up with the 70 bucks to start brewing.


and on a side note, and to not make another thread, i have until the end of april on my lease here and I'm not staying. I want to have my first batch done before then to have a moving out party (hey we had a moving in party might as well have an out too!!) so what would be a good type of beer that will be ready in 4 weeks or less and still taste good?

Hale said:

thanks guys, I visited the local HBS and they seemed really cool...didnt see any signs about any age, and they didn't ever question me about my age. maybe its not illegal to sell the s*** to people under 21 in the state of oklahoma.

i just need to come up with the 70 bucks to start brewing.


and on a side note, and to not make another thread, i have until the end of april on my lease here and I'm not staying. I want to have my first batch done before then to have a moving out party (hey we had a moving in party might as well have an out too!!) so what would be a good type of beer that will be ready in 4 weeks or less and still taste good?

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Howdy Hale, where in OK are you? I'm originally from Owasso, which is a northern 'burb of Tulsa. Always good to see fellow Okies about.

For your beer question, 4 weeks from boil to drinkable bottle is a bit of a tall order, esp. when your crowd isn't necessarily as tuned into beer as those of us who brew. About any mild ale should be *about* ready at that point, if you do a week in the primary, a week in the secondary, then two weeks in the bottle.

I say do a mild ale, keeping your malt extract at 6lbs or below. If it were me, I'd probably do about 5 lbs, as bigger beers take longer to mature. Just do a simple grain steep....maybe a lb of a fairly light malt. I'd be tempted to hop it a little higher than an average brew, just to overcome some of those slightly "green" flavors you might encounter. You might also either put your hops in some kind of bag during the boil, or strain them off before transferring to the primary...that'll help clean up the flavor right quick. From what I've read you can't go wrong pitching a basic California ale yeast, so that's what I'd go with.

Simply my opinion.....best of luck with it!

Sam

I just realized you're talking about your very first batch......you should do OK with a standard "brown ale" kit from Midwest or Austin Homebrew. I'd still be tempted to pick up an extra round of hops just for giggles.