Home Brewing is illegal in Alabama??

[mosyslack]

Kentucky is also illegal...unless you purchase a brewer license ($2500/year). There are no allowances for homebrew.

 

[brokenanchor]

Took the time to listen to the podcast Revvy posted. Interesting how one HBC chose to trade beers publicly, and one didn't. The repercussions of being investigated by ABC seem like they could be pretty traumatic for some people like Scott Oberman, who risked losing his job and joint custody. I was watching a documentary on Alaska the other day, and one of the facts mentioned was that it is illegal to push a live moose out of a moving airplane. In my opinion the ban on home brewing law in Alabama is right up there in ridiculousness as the "trying to make a moose fly" law. My advice for the people on the ABC board is RDWHAHB.

 

[Christian]

My advice for the people on the ABC board is RDWHAHB.

I wish the ABC board in Utah would take that advice. Unfortunately this state is controlled by the mormon church, all of the members of the ABC board are non-drinking mormons.

 

[FxdGrMind]

Oh.. I thought you wrote Morons.

 

[Pogo]

Ironically, church is the total reason that I've become involved in 'fermenting/home brewing' in the first place.

My studies of the scriptures have led me to understand that unfermented 'grape juice' is NOT what was used in the first century church.

It was alcoholic fermented WINE!!!

Without the use of refridgeration, or modern chemicals, which were NOT available in the first century,
an open container of grape juice, left alone at room temperature, can NOT be stopped from turning into WINE!!!

Sulfur, of course, was known, and available, and used...but, it was only used AFTER fermentation, for stabilization, to inhibit the alcohol in the wine from turning into vinegar!

I could rant about this for days, and days!

Today, it is THE churches, themselves, who are misinterpreting the scriptures, and thereby, teaching error, corrupting the communion service, A CRITICAL RITE, and causing their members to ERR!!!

It's bad enough that Alabama prohibits home brewing, but many of the DEVOUT church members in Alabama's counties continue to vote themselves DRY, punishing everyone ELSE in the whole county, and causing many to go to great effort and expense to get WINE, or to do without and SIN...yadda yadda yadda...!

1 Timothy 5 KJV
(23) Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.

Pogo

I'm sorry!

I apologize!

You will now be returned to your regular station, and your normal programming will now be resumed...

 

[GAbrewer]

I think at least once a week I hear, read, see or think of something that reminds me of why I left Alabama. Looks like this week is taken care of.

 

[PoorBoy]

Well at least Florida isn't completely behind the times. Our state only restricts the gallonage (100gal for household with 1 person over 21, 200gal for a home with more than 1 person over 21) Can't sell it. And I'm not likely to be breaking the 200 limit anytime soon (though I admit now I have a goal to shoot for).

brewing 200 gal a year really isn't that hard. i've been doing this for a month, and i have 20 gallons already (10 bottled, 10 in primary)

 

[Fadeux]

Today, it is THE churches, themselves, who are misinterpreting the scriptures, and thereby, teaching error, corrupting the communion service, A CRITICAL RITE, and causing their members to ERR!!!

It's bad enough that Alabama prohibits home brewing, but many of the DEVOUT church members in Alabama's counties continue to vote themselves DRY, punishing everyone ELSE in the whole county, and causing many to go to great effort and expense to get WINE, or to do without and SIN...yadda yadda yadda...!

Yeah, I gave up on the church/religion thing a long long time ago. The vast majority of religious people I know don't actually follow the scriptures themselves, they just like to tell others what to do.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Just to clarify since Utah has been mentioned on here. Home Brewing is not technically illegal as there is no state law that says it is illegal. However there is a licensing and taxation issue as the law does not distinguish between a brewery and a home brewer. The licensing and taxing of a home brewer has never been enforced though.

Oklahoma is similar. Title 37 specifically addresses the lagel home production of Wine and Cider but not specifially address Beer. By the mere act of exclusion it is determined Illeagal.

Other silly Ok but not so OK laws. Only 3.2%ABW allowed in grocer or c-stores shelves and MUST be stored cold however, High point beer can olny be sold at the liquor stores and is prohibited from cold storage. Bars can sell cold high point but must be consumed on premise.

Liquor store close at 9:00pm and on Sunday but bars can sell til 2:00am every day of the week. C-Stores cannot sell beer or coolers bewteen the hours of 2:00am and 8:00am however, Liquor stores can not open before 10:00am, IIRC. You have to be at least 21 to enter a liquor store but a 2 year old can walk the beer aisles at WalMart.

A brewer can manufacture high point beer in this state but can not sell on premise or direct. High point MUSt be sold through distribution or bought back from the distributor for on premise sales. Low point however, can be sold on premise.

Distillation is so prohibited in Oklahoma City on the commercial scale it practically illeagal. But, a company can buy prepared distilled spirits and dilute them for packaging.

I am sure there are more but they escape for now.

The AHA has no expressedplan to address the current status of Hb in Oklahoma as there just isn't enough support of the concept from people with important status. So, basically we will prolly be the last state to address the issue unless attempts in other states outright fail.

 

[Nightbiker]

brewing 200 gal a year really isn't that hard. i've been doing this for a month, and i have 20 gallons already (10 bottled, 10 in primary)

True its not that hard if you want to shoot for it, but I don't brew just for the sake of brewing (the ingredients bill DOES add up, after all) -besides, SWMBO would be a little touchy if I started taking up ALL of the available living space just to store bottles... And keg-wise, I've only got about 30 gallons worth of space (though it WOULD be a good excuse to get more kegs.... )
In any case, I sincerely doubt Floridas' Law enforcement types are going to be monitoring my production (grin) -I think the main idea is just to keep me from selling the stuff without getting the proper licenses etc.

 

[xpoc454]

A great example in my state. We can't buy liquor or wine on sundays. Bars can serve them off sale though. A couple years back, New Years fell on a sunday, so they changed the law for that year only. Talk about grade A nonsense....

Ewww that sounds like Indiana. We did that, is that where you are located?

 

[GIusedtoBe]

I live in TN but am from AL. Last year there was a bill in the legislature of AL called "Free the Hops" and I think it went down in flames to the bible thumpers and the liquor distributors. (How they were threatened I'll never know) I think the bill was mainly about the ABV limitations but the opponents acted like underaged kids and unresponsible people would use "craft" beers to get trashed and create mayhem.

This of course makes sense that cash strapped individuals would pay $8 for a bottle of 8% belgian ale instead of $8 for a bottle of everclear to get trashed!

BTW IMO only about 20% of the beer drinkers in AL have a clue about anything other than BMC and I might be liberal in my guess.

Regards,
Al

 

[giligson]

Its very interesting to read about all the odd liquor laws in the various states. Canada is fairly uniform: Liquor of any kind can only be sold at a government liquor store or a designated cold beer and wine store or specialty wine merchant. The only exception is the province of Quebec where beer and wine can be sold in a grocery store. The drinking age is 19 except in Alberta and Quebec where it is 18. U-brew (where consumers can brew in a storefront type setup - basically all you have to do is pitch the yeast) is fairly popular but unfortunately All grain brewing is not popular enough; especially considering our tax on liquor is very high compared to the US.

Oh to live in New Zealand .... where it is actually legal to distill for one's own consumption.

 

[Christian]

Other silly Ok but not so OK laws. Only 3.2%ABW allowed in grocer or c-stores shelves and MUST be stored cold however, High point beer can olny be sold at the liquor stores and is prohibited from cold storage. Bars can sell cold high point but must be consumed on premise.

Liquor store close at 9:00pm and on Sunday but bars can sell til 2:00am every day of the week. C-Stores cannot sell beer or coolers bewteen the hours of 2:00am and 8:00am however, Liquor stores can not open before 10:00am, IIRC. You have to be at least 21 to enter a liquor store but a 2 year old can walk the beer aisles at WalMart.

A brewer can manufacture high point beer in this state but can not sell on premise or direct. High point MUSt be sold through distribution or bought back from the distributor for on premise sales. Low point however, can be sold on premise.

We have the same 3.2 ABW (4.0 ABV) law here in Utah, anything higher has to be sold in the liquor stores that are only open till 10pm, closed on Sundays and there are only so many stores allowed per a certain population. No cold storage is allowed in liquor stores either. Plus the markup for liquor and beer is extremely high and the selection is terrible. Most serious drinkers here make frequent trips out of state, to stock up. My favorite micro-brewery (Stone Brewing) wont sell to the state. Oh and beer kegs are illegal for personal use, only bars can have them.

A brewery as of October 1st can finally sell there own high point beers from there own storefront but wine coolers had to be moved from the grocery stores to liquor stores and the state required the manufacturers to re-label. So they all have pretty much said screw this state and stopped selling here. As of October also a mixed drink can not have more then 1 1/2 oz of liquor and you can NOT order a sidecar of another shot.

The laws are getting worse and worse here, to the point that retailers who have conventions here are planning on going elsewhere (which will hurt the local economy really bad). I owned a bar here for awhile and the laws here are ridiculous and getting a liquor license was hell.

Non of the members of the ABC board here drink and they all belong to a religion that forbids the consumption of alcohol.........so i don't see the laws getting any better, anytime soon.

Oh and you can't go in a bar or club unless you buy a membership as all bars and clubs are required to be called private clubs.

 

[Fadeux]

Ewww that sounds like Indiana. We did that, is that where you are located?

Nope, South Dakota. Oddly enough, I found out today that they just lifted that ban, and are currently rewriting it. So in the next couple weeks its gone! Hooray! Logic and Reason triumph once again!

 

[Nightbiker]

wow, I had no idea it was so bad out there! Makes me glad to be a homebrewer -I can tap my personal kegs or bottles anytime I please, day or night, any day of the week, and since I enjoy my own company, I don't have to worry about being asked to leave or cut myself off. I'm always welcome to have another beer.
Ain't being a homebrewer great?
Really am glad I found this forum -wonderful to know there are so many other like-minded souls around.

The wife and I were out shopping, and she was going on about something (being an average guy, I wasn't really paying too much attention anyway) and she finally stopped, and addressed me directly "you're looking at things and wondering how to use them in your brewing, aren't you?" "Yes, actually, I am. Always."

 

[Corey_James]

Oh and beer kegs are illegal for personal use, only bars can have them.

Then just buy yourself some "SODA" kegs and accidentally put beer in them.

 

[Saccharomyces]

All a bunch of nonsense to me. As long as you aren't selling it, why should they care?

I'd like to see home distillation made legal in the US, as well. If I can make my own craft beer and wine, why not good whiskey too?

 

[Fadeux]

If you want to live in a country that you call free, you have the right to put whatever you want into your own body, PERIOD.... I just wish some of these "Freedeom!" bumper sticker people would realize that.

 

[lordbeermestrength]

If you want to live in a country that you call free, you have the right to put whatever you want into your own body, PERIOD.... I just wish some of these "Freedeom!" bumper sticker people would realize that.

What about meth? I should be able to manufacture that at home and use it for personal consumtion.

I mean really, I agree about the whole homebrewing thing, but lets be intellectually honest. You can't really use that sort of argument to win this battle.

 

[Nightbiker]

+1 on distillation! I'd LOVE to make some of the higher-end spirits.

 

[Pogo]

Posted by lordbeermestrength...What about meth?

What about South Korea?

The battle has ALREADY been won!

Unless something has changed in the last twenty years, ANYTHING you want is available, reasonably, over the counter.

Morphine, opiates, etc.

It seems that they treat adults, as adults.

Pogo

 

[Nightbiker]

thanks, but I think I'd rather live here than there. Having spent as much time as I have in emergency services, and then in the hospital environment, from what I've seen, a great many adults don't act much like adults -certainly don't seem to exhibit the presence of mind and restraint that would warrant treating them as 'adults' (anything goes).

 

[PoorBoy]

True its not that hard if you want to shoot for it, but I don't brew just for the sake of brewing (the ingredients bill DOES add up, after all) -besides, SWMBO would be a little touchy if I started taking up ALL of the available living space just to store bottles... And keg-wise, I've only got about 30 gallons worth of space (though it WOULD be a good excuse to get more kegs.... )
In any case, I sincerely doubt Floridas' Law enforcement types are going to be monitoring my production (grin) -I think the main idea is just to keep me from selling the stuff without getting the proper licenses etc.

i'm lucky that my girl is as enthusiastic about this as i am. and i'm using space as my excuse to starting my kegging (she agrees, this is wise). i also don't think the FL LEO's really care about how much beer i'm brewing, or drinking, or even giving away.

 

[flyangler18]

I'm sure that some of you saw my earlier comment about the AHA when this thread just started. If you are concerned about your states laws concerning homebrewing, I highly encourage you to join an organization that exists to protect your rights as a homebrewer and advocate for changes in local legislation.

Welcome to the Brewers Association

 

[Fadeux]

What about meth? I should be able to manufacture that at home and use it for personal consumtion.

I mean really, I agree about the whole homebrewing thing, but lets be intellectually honest. You can't really use that sort of argument to win this battle.

I said "PUT anything into your own body." Not MAKE anything.
I don't think you should be allowed to make meth in your own home, but at the same time, Locking people who do in a cage for 20-30 years isn't going to do them, or the taxpayers any good. Home distilling could be as dangerous as meth manufacture. A lot of people got really messed up from "bathtub cocktails" back during prohibition. So I guess my question is, where do you draw the line?

 

[lordbeermestrength]

Where to draw the line? I don't know. All I am saying is that there IS a line, somewhere. You should not be allowed to put ANYTHING into your body, that I disagree with.

 

[Nightbiker]

Likewise, lordbeermestrength. Too many adults just don't show the maturity or responsibility required to have an 'anything goes' policy regarding drug use.

 

[yeoldebrewer]

I have no idea what the law here in Texas says about homebrewing. I'm guessing the large German settlement in Texas was adequate to quash any anti-beer nonsense.

Danke sehr!

 

[Christian]

Too many adults just don't show the maturity or responsibility required to have an 'anything goes' policy regarding drug use.

That's partially because our govt and it's society don't treat them as adults. There are more responsible adult drug users out there then you could possibly imagine. Wasting money and resources on trying to rehabilitate them is pointless. What a person does to their own body is of no business of the govt or anyone else. Drugs were perfectly legal in this country for allot longer then they have have been illegal and that is how it should still be. I personally do not touch them and that is because it is MY choice and NOT the govt's.

Treat adults like adults and they are more likely to act like one. Treat them like children and they are more likely to act like one.