Free the Hops! in Sweet Home Alabama

[frailn]

My hometown is Birmingham, Alabama. I'm a transplant to Kansas City. I was amazed at the beer selection when I moved here. Alabama has always had some tight restrictions on beer and wine. Looks like things might be a-changin.

Free The Hops
April 22nd, 2011

Alabamians For Specialty Beer (FTH) has issued a state-wide consumer boycott of Anheuser-Busch products. This decision was made in light of the fact that Anheuser–Busch has spent the past few weeks working against the passing of Free the Hops legislation, such as the Brewery Modernization Act and the Gourmet Bottle Bill. Anheuser–Busch, and wholesalers such as Turner Beverage in Huntsville and Birmingham Budweiser are not only against the passing of these bills, but they are also working against the best benefit of the breweries they represent, and the increase in economic development craft beer would bring.

The Brewery Modernization Act goal is to allow breweries to sell on-premises like a brewpub and/or to wholesalers, by removing the crippling restrictions which prevent new breweries and brewpubs from opening. The Brewery Modernization Act will help create jobs and revive dying neighborhoods in local communities. In addition, this bill allows brewpubs to provide tours and free samples. These free samples would be subject to the state and county taxes which could increase receipts from such taxes accordingly, taxes that go straight into Alabama’s education fund.

The Gourmet Bottle Bill seeks to raise the maximum package size allowed for the sale of beer. Right now, you won't find any beer sold in a bottle larger than 16 ounces, but hundreds of craft beers are packaged only in 22 ounce or 750 milliliter bottles.

FTH is taking the first step in this boycott by banning all beers distributed by Anheuser Busch distributors in Alabama from the 2011 Rocket City Brewfest in Huntsville and the 2011 Magic City Brewfest in Birmingham.
FTH is also encouraging all of their supporters to join together and follow in FTH’s footsteps by boycotting Anheuser-Busch distributed brands which include all Budweiser products, Avery Brewing Company, Great Divide Brewing Company, Back Forty Brewing Company, Boulder Beer, Tommyknocker Brewing Company, Old Dominion, Moylans Brewing Company, Landshark, Red Brick, Atlanta Brewing Company, Fordham Brewing Company, Widmer Brothers, Gordon Biersch, Grolsch, Durango, Red Hook, and Southern Tier Brewing Company. This boycott will be in effect until both bills become law.

 

[Malintent]

Thank you for this post.

I would like to direct people to the documentary entitled "Beer Wars". Last I looked, it is streamable on Netflix. the documentary outlines the criminal activity engaged by the distribution racket formed by the mafia around the time of prohibition, and how it impacts consumer choice and the microbrewery business. in short, "BMC" owns 99.9% of the market share, and engage in unethical as well as illegal activity to ensure they retain every single inch of shelf space in every outlet imaginable.

I was told by one of my local bar owners that if she so much as considered giving a nanobrewer a tap then her delivery of "BMCs" would get dropped off the back of the truck.. and that would ruin 60% or more of her business.

The Clair Rose distribution criminals that own every bottle of beer delivered to every bar, stadium, and retailer in the entire North Eastern US will completely **** you over if you so much as suggest giving an inch of shelf space to something they don't sell.

I'd love to find a way to educate the masses on this.... Maybe a sticker with some basic information we can stick to every box of piss we see every time any of us come across it in a convenience store, grocery, liquor store, etc...

 

[Zamial]

I would like to direct people to the documentary entitled "Beer Wars". Last I looked, it is streamable on Netflix. the documentary outlines the criminal activity engaged by the distribution racket formed by the mafia around the time of prohibition, and how it impacts consumer choice and the microbrewery business. in short, "BMC" owns 99.9% of the market share, and engage in unethical as well as illegal activity to ensure they retain every single inch of shelf space in every outlet imaginable.

Did you just make up 99% of this or is this a direct misquote? No one is breaking any laws that was the point...The laws need to be changed...(I bolded the parts that are not very correct.)

I was told by one of my local bar owners that if she so much as considered giving a nanobrewer a tap then her delivery of "BMCs" would get dropped off the back of the truck.. and that would ruin 60% or more of her business.

All I can say is...huh??? Dropping a keg from a truck is a bad idea but will only shake the beer up same result from dropping cans. All of which will have no effect on the beverage after about 8 hours. Bottles will break. There is also a receiving place to sign for the delivery. If I saw a delivery driver dropping my delivery, I would simply never sign for it and I would call the company that employed Mr. Butterfingers and *****. I have to say the "A friend told me" on a forum is like saying "Santa Claus told me"...99% of the time it is a fiction.

The Clair Rose distribution criminals that own every bottle of beer delivered to every bar, stadium, and retailer in the entire North Eastern US will completely fuc k you over if you so much as suggest giving an inch of shelf space to something they don't sell.

Still not making ends meet here...If they are the only "criminals" out there running the show and not selling beer through a distributor is illegal, how can you possibly be "pissing anyone off" because they are the only game in town...unless you are involved in criminal activity?

I'd love to find a way to educate the masses on this.... Maybe a sticker with some basic information we can stick to every box of piss we see every time any of us come across it in a convenience store, grocery, liquor store, etc...

I am with you but let's make the media fun and not full of the AWFUL "truths" you are talking about. I like Beer Wars enough but it get's old when it is hefted and treated like The Ten Commandments. Seriously, join the AHA and a local club and see what you can get to change in your area.



As for the OP...Great and good for them! I hope they get the laws changed in Alabama so my fellow brewers are no longer criminals. Plus they get coolness points for organizing a boycott of a major brand/brands...

 

[pvburton]

Check the following to see where this was at in the state legislature a few years back:



Or, fast forward to 5:33 to get a chuckle and discouraged at the same time...

Fight on fth!!!

 

[frailn]

Check the following to see where this was at in the state legislature a few years back:

Or, fast forward to 5:33 to get a chuckle and discouraged at the same time...

Fight on fth!!!

That was AWESOME. Boy, I love Alabama politics. They guy at 5:33 is probably an Auburn fan.

 

[astropunk]

Whats wrong with the beer we got?!?!? It drinks pretty good, don't it??
LOL!!!

 

[Nightbiker]

wow, the opponents pulled out all the scare tactics (my favorites: beer in the hands of teenagers, and of course -while not scary (though it frightens me a bit to realize that this member actually makes law) "whats wrong wid da beer we got? It dranks purty good don't it? Uh, budweiser, uh, miller... what are some of the other beers?" Gentlemen, these people are making the laws that others must abide by! THAT is scary! The proponents on the other hand seemed to put much more reason into their arguments -after all, lets be honest here. Anybody who wants to get drunk is going to buy the cheapest booze they can (more bang for the buck), and those aren't the ones who are going to other states to get craft beers.
Personally I'd be ashamed that it was as close a vote as it was.
Glad I don't live there -though I often go to Alabama (and Georgia) to hunt.

 

[uglysofa]

That was AWESOME. Boy, I love Alabama politics. They guy at 5:33 is probably an Auburn fan.

Now I take offense to that. I'm a Die Hard Auburn fan from the day I was born and I love craft beer more than most things in life.

 

[dmfa200]

I am a Free the Hops member, and encourage all of you to visit the Free the Hops website.
You will get an insight to some utterly ridiculous laws restricting brewers in Alabama.

I am originally from Michigan, and can appreciate the freedoms that most Americans enjoy when it comes to beer.

I actually started brewing before I realized that it was illegal. I guess I dismissed these restrictions because I think that they were created by bible thumping religious freaks, something I loathe.

I am a Christian, but I am not an extremist.

 

[JebCkr]

That was AWESOME. Boy, I love Alabama politics. They guy at 5:33 is probably an Auburn fan.

Haha, easy now...we're not all like him.

And War Eagle!

 

[uglysofa]

Haha, easy now...we're not all like him.

And War Eagle!

War Damn Eagle!

 

[smears]

It's gonna be hard to boycott the yeti. Hopefully my clone batch will come out close enough to keep me away from it.

 

[frailn]

Now I take offense to that. I'm a Die Hard Auburn fan from the day I was born and I love craft beer more than most things in life.

I knew there were some Auburn fans somewhere around this forum! All in good fun - you can't live in Alabama without choosing sides! Roll Tide!

And, here is what we say in the south about that state rep at 5:33

Bless his heart....

 

[Breck09]

What are some of them other beers? Miller. Then his buddy in the background Coors. Then they crap out. The fact they can only think of two different beers makes me chuckle.

 

[pvburton]

What are some of them other beers? Miller. Then his buddy in the background Coors. Then they crap out. The fact they can only think of two different beers makes me chuckle.

The fact its the "BMC" triad listed in order, then nothing else, is just one of the most perfect examples of irony I've ever witnessed.

I ran into this before I picked up the hobby-- it was funny then, now its even funnier!

 

[Backporchbrewery]

I helped support FTH when I lived in Birmingham, and I'll still be hitting up the brewfest in June. Hopefully it'll carry over to Mississippi, it's even worse here.

 

[JefeTheVol]

Prost to FTH guys and gals. Good luck changing AL laws, thats like asking the Vatican to update mass services to include Christian Rap. "Whats wrong wit da songs we got? They sing purty good, dont de?"

 

[curlyfat]

I think it's a very useless tactic to boycott the big beers. The only people who care about this and would be on board with a boycott probably aren't buying Bud Light already! Silly tactic.

I fully support the change, though. I don't live in any kind of "beer heaven", but at least we can still get some real beer with no alcohol limit. That has to suck. And that audio was frustrating to listen to. It just shows how little most people actually know about our passion.

 

[uglysofa]

I think it's a very useless tactic to boycott the big beers. The only people who care about this and would be on board with a boycott probably aren't buying Bud Light already! Silly tactic.

I fully support the change, though. I don't live in any kind of "beer heaven", but at least we can still get some real beer with no alcohol limit. That has to suck. And that audio was frustrating to listen to. It just shows how little most people actually know about our passion.

The distributor targeted in the boycott does not only supply AB products. Avery and Great Divide are notable craft brews supplied by them.