Any homebrewers in Alabama ?

[means5104]

I'm from the Gadsden area, and looking to meeting some folks from my area that brew. I have a friend in Bham that I brew with occasionally, but have never met anyone else. I'm all for starting a club or tastings.

 

[rochellex244]

I'm from Alabama, well the Mobile area. So unfortunately I'm not close, but it is nice to see some fellow alabamians here.

 

[BamaBees]

I know a few of you guys are from Alabama. Are there enough homebrewers in Alabama that there might be some interest in forming sort of a home-brew club or something ? Nothing really complicated, I was just thinking it might be fun to have a meeting every month or two and drink some homebrews, swap recipes, share tips and stuff.

Starting one down in the Wiregrass. Check us out on Facebook.

 

[FTG-05]

Alabama brew clubs. Except for the RCB in Madison/Huntsville, I don't know how accurate these listings/links are:

http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages/homebrewclubAL.html

http://www.alahomebrewing.org/homebrewing-clubs

If brewing was legal in AL, I'd brew up a bunch of beer! Like NB's Cream Ale (2), AK-47 Pale Mild (3), American Wheat (1) and Rye Ale (1). But, since brewing isn't legal in AL, I haven't brewed any of the above beer.

Nor do I have one batch of AK-47 Pale Mild or Cream Ale fermenting right now and the AK-47 won't be ready to bottle this weekend and it won't be followed by the Cream Ale the week thereafter.

I can't wait until brewing is legal in AL!!! It will happen next year!

 

[shelly_belly]

I don't know about that. Alabama's in a pissing match with Mississippi to be the last state to allow it, if even then.

 

[Orthobrewsky]

Alabama brew clubs. Except for the RCB in Madison/Huntsville, I don't know how accurate these listings/links are:

http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages/homebrewclubAL.html

http://www.alahomebrewing.org/homebrewing-clubs

If brewing was legal in AL, I'd brew up a bunch of beer! Like NB's Cream Ale (2), AK-47 Pale Mild (3), American Wheat (1) and Rye Ale (1). But, since brewing isn't legal in AL, I haven't brewed any of the above beer.

Nor do I have one batch of AK-47 Pale Mild or Cream Ale fermenting right now and the AK-47 won't be ready to bottle this weekend and it won't be followed by the Cream Ale the week thereafter.

I can't wait until brewing is legal in AL!!! It will happen next year!

Okay, I'll play. If brewing were legal, I'd probably have a Reaper's Mild and a Rye IPA (6.4% ABV and so delicious) on tap right now with a stout and Fat Tire clone carbonating in kegs, soon to come up on tap. I'd also have a 1.095 imperial stout that I brewed just last Friday still bubbling slowly (having already reached 1.033 when I checked it two days ago). I can imagine having an Oktoberfest that I brewed in April still in the downstairs fridge in secondary and just about to be transferred to a keg. Of course, all of this assumes we'd also not be subject to the 15 gallon storage limit which was part of this year's bill, since all of those would be 5 gallon batches.

If only brewing were legal! For now, at least we have our amazingly vivid imaginations. So vivid I can almost taste it.

 

[Whattawort]

Alabama brew clubs. Except for the RCB in Madison/Huntsville, I don't know how accurate these listings/links are:

http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages/homebrewclubAL.html

http://www.alahomebrewing.org/homebrewing-clubs

If brewing was legal in AL, I'd brew up a bunch of beer! Like NB's Cream Ale (2), AK-47 Pale Mild (3), American Wheat (1) and Rye Ale (1). But, since brewing isn't legal in AL, I haven't brewed any of the above beer.

Nor do I have one batch of AK-47 Pale Mild or Cream Ale fermenting right now and the AK-47 won't be ready to bottle this weekend and it won't be followed by the Cream Ale the week thereafter.

I can't wait until brewing is legal in AL!!! It will happen next year!

HA! The Huntsville Alabama Homebrewers Association is located about 5 houses down from where I grew up. Awesome.

 

[kdar]

I am from Huntsville, AL. Started doing my first batch of wine, from some muscadine I collected last week from my yard. Prior to this was only brewing kvass.

 

[1965beerman]

Okay, I'll play. If brewing were legal, I'd probably have a Reaper's Mild and a Rye IPA (6.4% ABV and so delicious) on tap right now with a stout and Fat Tire clone carbonating in kegs, soon to come up on tap. I'd also have a 1.095 imperial stout that I brewed just last Friday still bubbling slowly (having already reached 1.033 when I checked it two days ago). I can imagine having an Oktoberfest that I brewed in April still in the downstairs fridge in secondary and just about to be transferred to a keg. Of course, all of this assumes we'd also not be subject to the 15 gallon storage limit which was part of this year's bill, since all of those would be 5 gallon batches.

If only brewing were legal! For now, at least we have our amazingly vivid imaginations. So vivid I can almost taste it.

Brew anyways. I do

 

[Orthobrewsky]

Brew anyways. I do

Yeah, I was just kidding. The beer story above was based closely upon real-life experience and I forgot to mention the bottles, including a barleywine, born last December and barely touched so far.

 

[gimmejava]

Huntsville Alabama here. If it were legal, I'd probably have a Janet's Brown Ale that I brewed and friends that love me for it. I'd also have a Belgian Dubble and seriously be thinking about brewing up a batch of Arrogant Bastard clone since the first one I would have brewed would have been so awesome. I can only imagine how satisfying it must be to enjoy AG brewing.....if only it were legal.

 

[Whattawort]

Huntsville Alabama here. If it were legal, I'd probably have a Janet's Brown Ale that I brewed and friends that love me for it. I'd also have a Belgian Dubble and seriously be thinking about brewing up a batch of Arrogant Bastard clone since the first one I would have brewed would have been so awesome. I can only imagine how satisfying it must be to enjoy AG brewing.....if only it were legal.

AG brewing is awesome....or so I hear.

 

[mmcouch]

In the B'ham area and looking for other enthusists. Is there a club out there? The ones I found all seem to be defunct. Would love to meet up with others and shoot the breez etc.

Also, does anyone know of a source for used 5 gallon sankeys or corny kegs in the B'ham area?

Oh, and if it were legal, I'd probably be on my second batch ever (still a newb doing partial mash kits)--pumpkin ale--and have Midwest's Autumn Amber bottled.

 

[Whattawort]

In the B'ham area and looking for other enthusists. Is there a club out there? The ones I found all seem to be defunct. Would love to meet up with others and shoot the breez etc.

Also, does anyone know of a source for used 5 gallon sankeys or corny kegs in the B'ham area?

Oh, and if it were legal, I'd probably be on my second batch ever (still a newb doing partial mash kits)--pumpkin ale--and have Midwest's Autumn Amber bottled.

The MW Autumn Amber was a big hit with my people. Love that beer. All I can say is Craigslist is your buddy. I put a "Wanted" listing out for kegs and got two replies within a few hours. They kegs weren't listed, so you have to go out of the way a little to find them. As far as clubs go, there are a few scattered around the state, but with the laws being the way they are, no one likes to advertise. From what I've found, they're pretty tight knit groups and you have to know someone who knows someone to really get in.

 

[mmcouch]

The autumn amber did not disappoint. After reading some horror stories on here about first batches gone wrong, everything on mine seemed to turn out fine. But the bottles are a bit over-carbed (I'll measure my final volume next time before dumping the entire bag of priming sugar in)

Oh yea, thanks for the CL tip. Already have a good lead.

 

[Whattawort]

The autumn amber did not disappoint. After reading some horror stories on here about first batches gone wrong, everything on mine seemed to turn out fine. But the bottles are a bit over-carbed (I'll measure my final volume next time before dumping the entire bag of priming sugar in)

Oh yea, thanks for the CL tip. Already have a good lead.

3/4c (by weight) in 1c water has been the perfect priming measurement for me.

Good luck with the kegs. I'm still wrestling with mine. The gas side works great, but I'm not getting anything out of the liquid. Bought new posts and disconnects and still no love.

 

[mmcouch]

Dumb question, but what do you mean 3/4 cup by weight? Or does the c stand for some other unit of measurement? Hope you get that keg running. Maybe a bad seal somewhere else? Obstruction in the beer dip tube?

 

[Whattawort]

Dumb question, but what do you mean 3/4 cup by weight? Or does the c stand for some other unit of measurement? Hope you get that keg running. Maybe a bad seal somewhere else? Obstruction in the beer dip tube?

Take a paper plate and put it on a scale. Add your dextrose until you hit 3/4 cup. A measuring cup is by volume and won't give you an accurate amount because different ingredients weight different amounts.

I'm gonna win the fight with those kegs if it kills me. I've replaced the posts, o-rings, and traded out lids. The dip tubes look clear, but there's an issue I haven't found yet (obviously). If they hold pressure, then something's gotta give. I have a pecan brown that's been in the fermenter for almost 5 weeks that I'm dying to drink. I don't have enough space or bottles right now to store them.

 

[FTG-05]

I've got a three day weekend coming up. If brewing was legal in AL, I'd be planning on making a 6 gallon batch of Skeeter Pee, even though summer is over.

Of course, with it not being legal, there was no point in ordering the tannin, yeast nutrient and energizer from NB, so I didn't....

 

[Whattawort]

I hear ya. If it weren't illegal, I'd be brewing an old ale this weekend for a family Christmas party. But alas, I'll probably just make 5gal of a sweet barley tea.

 

[MTate37]

Hi all,

I'm surprised to see a section on HBT for a state with antiquated brewing laws.

If brewing were legal in Alabama, I would consider bottle conditioning Midwest's Ferocious IPA and Brooklyn Brew Shop's Cranberry Wheat. I might also consider putting Brooklyn Brew Shop's New Year Beer in some bottles. Next up, maybe even this weekend if laws suddenly change, I would attempt a Pliny the Elder clone.

I would probably even look for someone that I can trade some brews with so that I could get opinions/advice since I've just recently started thinking about what it would be like to live in a state where homebrew were legal.

Instead I guess I'll just enjoy a growler of Ballast Point's Sculpin IPA and pretend I made it.

Please note: Any comments made in other threads on this forum are strictly hypothetical.

 

[mmcouch]

I'm surprised to see a section on HBT for a state with antiquated brewing laws.

Let's do something to change that! Look up info on HB9 in the 2013 legislative session. Call your state representative and voice your support for the bill, and ask why AL has to be the last state (along with MS) to lift its ban on homebrewing. :rockin:

http://www.alahomebrewing.org/news/hb9readytogo

 

[MTate37]

They've heard from me. I wasn't going to start thinking about brewing until the law passed, but I got a little frustrated after the last session. Hopefully it will pass this time around. The fact that we just managed to re-elect Roy Moore scares me a little though.

 

[Whattawort]

If I could afford it I would pick up and move out of this state post haste. My family and job are rooted here, so alas I must stay in the assbackwards state. Every election I have a massive headache for a solid week from facepalming so much. Roy Moore?? Really? Are you f'n kidding me? I have so many choice words for that bigoted bible beater but I'm pretty sure I'd get the banhammer for saying them here.

If shipping beer were legal, I'd be happy to do a beer swap. It's too much of a logistical ****** to do otherwise though.

 

[CGVT]

If I could afford it I would pick up and move out of this state post haste. My family and job are rooted here, so alas I must stay in the assbackwards state. Every election I have a massive headache for a solid week from facepalming so much. Roy Moore?? Really? Are you f'n kidding me? I have so many choice words for that bigoted bible beater but I'm pretty sure I'd get the banhammer for saying them here.

If shipping beer were legal, I'd be happy to do a beer swap. It's too much of a logistical ****** to do otherwise though.

Do forget the voters of this state voted a dead man into office. I guess having that R next his name was more important than actually being, you know, alive.

 

[MTate37]

Great points. With the re-election of Roy Moore and Alabama's new #1 ranking in most post-election racist Tweets and Facebook posts I would say there is some room for improvement in this state. I actually had the opportunity to get out of this place a few months ago but housing values, timing, family and the new, higher cost of living elsewhere made it not the best choice for us. Someday though...

 

[MTate37]

If shipping beer were legal, I'd be happy to do a beer swap. It's too much of a logistical ****** to do otherwise though.

If you're ever driving through the Pelham / Birmingham area let me know and I can meet you for a swap. Although I don't think I'm going to be giving my most recent attempt to anyone. So far this stuff is horrendous.

 

[Whattawort]

If you're ever driving through the Pelham / Birmingham area let me know and I can meet you for a swap. Although I don't think I'm going to be giving my most recent attempt to anyone. So far this stuff is horrendous.

Had a batch not come out too well once. Made a friggin awesome marinade for pork and chicken. If it were legal, I might have just finished brewing an Irish Red with a new brewhouse efficiency of 73% (finally got the equipment dialed in). I also might have a batch of a beautiful, ruby red holiday warmer aging in bottles. I also might have a few bombers of a pecan porter hanging around. Only have 1 bottle of my cream ale left. That beer went pretty quickly. Seems my BMC friends really liked it.

My bro lives in Chelsea, but I don't get a chance to get down there very often. If I do, I'll let you know and we can arrange for a swap. My buddy brews, but it seems all he does are blonde ales and IPAs. Those get old after a while. I don't think he has the balls to experiment much. It'd be cool to try someone else's beer and get an unbiased opinion of mine.

 

[mmcouch]

I'd be down to swap in the Bham/Pel area, though I'm still an extract newb only three batches in. But Ive gotten good feedback on my latest stuff.

 

[MTate37]

Don't worry...I'm a noob too. I've got sic or seven bombers of my first brew, a pale ale, left. I had a string of three 12 oz bottles that tasted a little sour, but the last two I had seemed alright. For a first beer I guess it was okay.

I've done three all grain Brooklyn Brew Shop recipes, but only one is bottled and should be ready in two weeks. I sampled one yesterday and I think it is going to come out pretty good. The others will be done in five our six weeks. I'm only getting eight to ten bottles out of each of these, but I might be able to part with one of each of I don't drink em to fast

I've got a little over a case of Midwest's Ferocious IPA in bottles, but if something doesn't change soon, I wouldn't force my worst enemy to drink it. It's pretty awful.

I'm planning to do a Pliny the Elder clone next weekend. Hopefully it will be successful.

What styles have you brewed?