Hello from Texas

Hello from Southlake, TX. I’ve been brewing for about 6 years. I started with the basic LHBS kit and stuck with extract brewing for 5 years, improving my equipment along the way. While using extract, I never really brewed with much frequency. This year in January I made the switch to AG brewing and managed to get in my 17th AG batch yesterday. I really enjoy this hobby because there always seems to be something new to learn or to try.

My other interests in the brew sphere are state beer laws and getting people I know involved in home brew.

You folks have a great site, and I look forward to reading it frequently. I already have a batch of EdWort’s Apfelwein sitting in my closet. And until I read some of the posts here I had no idea that keg ball-lock disconnects actually came apart.

Thank you,

Matthew

Thanks and welcome to HBT!
Wow is sounds like the switch to AG did it for you!

Welcome about. Lots of new Texans lately!

You guys have one hell of a football team up there!

Yeah, I have to say I caught the bug pretty bad when I switched to AG. These days when I ask my wife on a Tuesday, "What are we doing this weekend?" she has stopped asking, "Why?"

My increased brewing is also due to some really silly local liquor laws. While I can buy wine and port, I can't buy beer greater than 5% ABV. So in order to get normal craft beer, I have to drive about 20 minutes. In protest, I figured I'd try to make the majority of the beer I drink. I haven't reached my goal by a long shot, but I'll keep trying.

EeryBug said:

My other interests in the brew sphere are state beer laws and getting people I know involved in home brew.

Click to expand...

wow that can/does directly effect me. do you have any links or anything that can help me start learning about the laws that i should know about. I've done high level research but would love to go deeper.

Welcome Aboard! Always glad to see another Texan on here.

Welcome!


TL

jjasghar said:

wow that can/does directly effect me. do you have any links or anything that can help me start learning about the laws that i should know about. I've done high level research but would love to go deeper.

Click to expand...

These links might still be pretty high level, but they are where I’ve gotten most of the info I know. Caution: Reading Texas House Bills can cause serious eye strain.

http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/
Look under the “Publications” tab for the full version of TX code.
I also looked through various versions of the Retailer’s Guide to compare. The deal with Southlake was that the city boundary encompasses two counties. Before our state representative got a bill passed, cities like Southlake were unable to hold a local option election—the only method to change the liquor licenses that are available in a community.

I’ve also spoken to folks at the TABC a number of times. They always taken my calls and are interested in discussing the laws.

I’d also suggest looking at your city web site. I called the mayor’s office and asked around who I’d talked to about local option elections. Took a bit, but I finally got someone who knew about the LOE that happened here in Southlake a number of years back.

http://www.senate.state.tx.us
http://www.house.state.tx.us
http://www.legis.state.tx.us
You can get copies of most of the liquor laws the TABC is supposed to enforce. It’s also where I found the wording of what our state representative submitted for a vote. And where I found out the first version included beer and wine and the version that actually became the law was only for wine (since this house bill, it’s been changed again).

The requirements for a LOE are pretty ridiculous. Take a look at this for an LOE FAQ:

http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/laws/liquorelections.shtml

If you do some Google searches on LOEs you’ll find some stories about what people experienced. But if you live in a large community, it’s going to take a lot of signatures to make it happen.

One more I forgot but that I learned about just recently. TX still doesn’t accept federal COLAs (Certificates of Label Approval). This means that brewers need to come up with multiple labels for bottling and packaging. TX is in a small minority of states that will accept COLAs for wine but not for beer—though TX didn’t accept COLAs for wine until just this year.

The Sunset Advisory Commission (www.sunset.texas.state.us) reviews the purpose and function of the TABC every 12 years; in 2005 the whole label issue for beer was brought up but was not implemented. It’s just one more law that I see as benefiting big brewing while shutting out the smaller brewer due to the added production expense. I’m sure there are other view points to hold on the matter.

Anyhow, I'm sure I've gone beyond the realm of introduction.

Matthew

Welcome aboard!!

San Marcos, specifically. I'm the manager of a beer store in San Marcos called the Yellow Store. I've been looking forward to getting into homebrewing, finally taking the plunge. Any suggestions on what kind of equipment to get? The plan is to go to Austin Homebrew and get the super deluxe beer making kit, with carboy and stickpt upgrades. (info at http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_33_52&products_id=401). Anything I should add, not get, etc? Would you guys recommend starting with extracts, mash, or AG?