Homebrewing in NJ ILLEGAL w/o permit!!!

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kornkob said:
*rolls eyes* Yeah, that's why homebrewing is illegal in all the other blue states. Besides, wasn't it Carter that signed the federal law making homebrewing legal?

Besides-- which party was in power when they made homebrewing illegal in NJ. According to the information at this site: Beertown-Homebrewing NJ instituted the licensing in 1995
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I'm not sure exactly when it became illegal/legal in NJ, but if you look at the beertown link, they don't specify when the bills were signed, the files show when they were last updated. Every one that I looked at said "Updated: 9/95".
 
That sucks...

On a side note, I've only been to Jersey twice, and have heard all of "taxes on everything" horror stories, the question is what in the hell do they spend it on? It sure the hell isn't the infrastructure.
 
A small point, but it appears some people are confusing ABV and ABW.

§1.04 defines "Beer" as a malt beverage containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume and not more than four percent of alcohol by weight.
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So, in Texas we can legally brew 5% ABV (4% ABW) beer.
 
Even using "North Jersey" as a bucket doesn't work. This is North Jersey:

cfiles5102.jpg


It's unfortunate that most people just passing through really only get to see inner city environments. If that's all there was, I wouldn't live here either.
 
Ok, I feel obligated to chime in here. I live in NJ now, and I am not a native New Jerseyan. New Jersite? Whatever.

Anyway, like Bobby pointed out, you can't broad-brush the whole state of New Jersey any more than you can broad-brush any other state. Is southern IL the same as Chicago? Is Chico the same as San Diego? Can I judge all of MD by Frederick? No, so why do people think all of NJ is like Camden?

Here are my impressions:
Central NJ is OK, but it's as much of a generic sprawling suburb as anywhere else. This area is very much your standard U.S. hick-town-turned-suburb with great Italian food.

New Jersey attitudes can be a sight to behold, but I can't say the people are really any better or worse than anywhere else. It's just that here people tend to say "F**k you" instead of "bless your heart." I can't say I'm a big fan of either.

The beaches suck. I'm not going to mince words here because this is purely my opinion, but I can't for the life of me understand what's so great about NJ beaches. So I'm certainly not going to pay for the privelege. But hey, here's a counter-balance: Most of the CA coastline sucks, too.

Pumping your own gas is overrated. Tell me you wouldn't rather have someone else pump for you in the freezing cold when you pay less for the privelege than neighboring states.

Cities are cities, people are people, cost of living is cost of living. There's no real reason to slam Jersey any more than any other state. I happen to not care for the attitudes here, particularly the way people with not enough business of their own to mind feel the need to start minding yours, but let's face it... that's just about everywhere nowadays.

As for the cops here, my experience has been OK so far as long as you front them plenty of respect. I don't trust them as far as I can spit, but then again where would I?
 
since Carter made it a national law that one can homebrew....wouldnt that trump all state laws in court?
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Nope. Federal laws are considered baseline minimums; states can always extend them.
 
I used to live in Princeton and had all of Northern Jersey as my territory. It stands as some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. The standards of living for N. Jersey are outrageously high. Not just the taxes. Our DINK household income was close to 400K and we were on the low end of our neighborhood. So when we paid close to $45K in property taxes annually it didn't really hurt. Especially when we sold that house to move and had tripled the value in 7 years

A 70K Lexus or Mercedes in North Jersey is par with a 19K Chevy Malibu in Ohio. The standards of education and quality of restaurant there was excellent.

I could go on but the main point here is that most people that would trash NJ have only experienced from there car on the turnpike. Not a fair assessment.
 
I was born in central NJ, grew up there, got the itch to leave and moved to Hollywood FL, for 1 year. Came right back too. NJ has a lot to offer. Cost of living is high, so is the standard of living. From the Trenton area, you can be to either philly or NY in about an hour. I would say that alone added 10 yrs to my grandparents life, because of exceptional healthcare available in those cities.
I live in Maple Shade, NJ- 4 miles from philly. It is a different world from northern NJ. I am in process to move to Central Jersey. Like fishing? NJ has it.
Like entertainment? NJ has it. Like Gambling? NJ has it.

Probably will never leave.
 
NJTomatoguy said:
I was born in central NJ, grew up there, got the itch to leave and moved to Hollywood FL, for 1 year. Came right back too. NJ has a lot to offer. Cost of living is high, so is the standard of living. From the Trenton area, you can be to either philly or NY in about an hour. I would say that alone added 10 yrs to my grandparents life, because of exceptional healthcare available in those cities.
I live in Maple Shade, NJ- 4 miles from philly. It is a different world from northern NJ. I am in process to move to Central Jersey. Like fishing? NJ has it.
Like entertainment? NJ has it. Like Gambling? NJ has it.

Probably will never leave.
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Strange...

Born and raised in Camden. Parents from Philly. Lived there some time also.
Joined the Army while living in Atlantic City after 3 years. Moved to Germany for 4 years. Lived in Browns Mills and Mt Holly for a couple of years while parents lived in Manahawkin. Lived in NC 2X. Lived in Ocean (Monmouth Cty) for a while. Moved to TX, CA and OK. Moved to IL in 1987, NC 3rd time) in 97-99. Germany again 99-04, then back to IL.

Although I have a lot of good memories and relatives there. It's ok for a visit, but I'll never live in Jersey again.

I can't stand the people, the traffic, the laws, the police officers, the way people talk (manner and inflection). I especially don't like whiny talking women...the pits!! When I come "home" to visit they ask me where did I get my accent. I tell them "in NJ schools".

But hey, that's just me. :D
 
sirsloop said:
Im probably move to FL after I have enough experience to comfortably land a better job. Network Engineering usually takes a good 3-5 years experience to be considered... I have 1 with this "title" :)
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Dude, come on down to VA man... Sure we are a communistwealth state, but at least we dont need no stinkin permit to brew!

Besides, we need some COMPETENT techs with the school system down here. Of all the things I dont like about this place - my job isnt one of them :)
(I LOVE my job - With a kapital L!)
-Me
 
NJ sucks. Used to live there. Don't anymore. Seems they don't believe in the right to keep and bear arms or the pursiut of happiness...
 
Another reason not to pay the permit fee is that if you forget to pay next year, they will come looking for their money.
 
It's funny how people are saying it's so awful that NJ has this "rule". It makes no difference, because YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT. I learned about this abomination of a rule 7 years after I began homebrewing in the state. All I did was laugh to myself and go about my life. It's akin to those ridiculous laws that are still on the books across the country such as it being illegal to back out of your driveway.
 
^This is hilarious.

BTW, I strongly dislike NJ. It smells, houses many bad drivers, and the entire state is an exit ramp.

Resurrecting this thread has added fuel to the fire...
 
LuckyPenny said:
It's funny how people are saying it's so awful that NJ has this "rule". It makes no difference, because YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO IT. I learned about this abomination of a rule 7 years after I began homebrewing in the state. All I did was laugh to myself and go about my life. It's akin to those ridiculous laws that are still on the books across the country such as it being illegal to back out of your driveway.
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Sounds like parking tickets.

You don't HAVE to pay them, until they tow your car...

;)
 
nefarious_1_ said:
^This is hilarious.

BTW, I strongly dislike NJ. It smells, houses many bad drivers, and the entire state is an exit ramp.

Resurrecting this thread has added fuel to the fire...
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Say what you like about NJ (our governor is the anti-Christ), but I love it here. In addition to being a fellow homebrewer, I also love to ski, surf, camp, trout fish, deep-sea fish, occasionally frequent great casinos, and go into NYC. All of this is available within a 50-minute drive, with Atlantic City being about 2 hours away. In addition, my town is one of the most historic in America (I'm a history teacher so it's especially great for me) and has dozens of restaurants, pubs, and bars. Sure there are undesirable areas, like every state, but please don't get all of your knowledge of the state from watching Jersey Shore.
 
Why do you have to make 3 rights to go left there? I lived on LI and we used to go to Cherry Hill on hockey tournaments. We could never understand why you could not make a left turn. Oh and they only sell beer in those beverage stores....Canals I think it is. Great selection but not very convenient.
 
LuckyPenny said:
Say what you like about NJ (our governor is the anti-Christ), but I love it here. In addition to being a fellow homebrewer, I also love to ski, surf, camp, trout fish, deep-sea fish, occasionally frequent great casinos, and go into NYC. All of this is available within a 50-minute drive, with Atlantic City being about 2 hours away. In addition, my town is one of the most historic in America (I'm a history teacher so it's especially great for me) and has dozens of restaurants, pubs, and bars. Sure there are undesirable areas, like every state, but please don't get all of your knowledge of the state from watching Jersey Shore.
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I've never watched a single episode of Jersey Shore in my life. NJ is just next door from where I live. I speak from experience... Of course, I may have exaggerated, but it was minimal. :D
 
Funny thing is, I wish I could live in NJ because of your governor! There are some beautiful parts of NJ. Most of my family lives there already and my wife is from Jersey, so obviously I'm there a lot. Overall, this whole area sucks though. When my time comes, I'm leaving the whole east coast behind.
 
$3-$10? Just be glad you legally CAN homebrew...imagine living in parts of Alaska or somewhere where you could not legally brew at all.
 
cowain said:
Practice a little civil disobedience - don't obey it and hope they catch you doing so. Then challenge the law (preempted by Fed. homebrewing law).
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.....and it's like all the threads where the subject of exceeding the 200 gal. limit comes up. Just shaddup about it and brew. No one's going to care or know the difference (although I do heartily endorse the part about moving out of NJ).
 
Airborneguy said:
Funny thing is, I wish I could live in NJ because of your governor! There are some beautiful parts of NJ. Most of my family lives there already and my wife is from Jersey, so obviously I'm there a lot. Overall, this whole area sucks though. When my time comes, I'm leaving the whole east coast behind.
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I don't intend to get into a political debate, but our governor is NOT a champion of the taxpayers, contrary to some belief. His approval rating is now lower than his disapproval rating because people are starting to wake up to that fact. But I digress. You live on Staten Island, you're basically a New Jerseyan!
 
I'm from San Diego, California. My wife is from NJ. I've been there to visit the inlaws and seen the place. Crowded, crappy roads, mean drivers, mean people, Toll roads, smelly, dirty..I could go on but you get the idea. I was offered a job there but my wife didn't want to move back there so we visit once a year.
You can keep just about everyplace back there.

Just to be on topic. I went into a shop that sold beer there and they do have good selections. Some beers I couldn't even find out here. Weird though, it's a store that sells only alcohol. Out here we can get beer from the supermarket if we want.
 
RickWG said:
I'm from San Diego, California. My wife is from NJ. I've been there to visit the inlaws and seen the place. Crowded, crappy roads, mean drivers, mean people, Toll roads, smelly, dirty..I could go on but you get the idea. I was offered a job there but my wife didn't want to move back there so we visit once a year.
You can keep just about everyplace back there.

Just to be on topic. I went into a shop that sold beer there and they do have good selections. Some beers I couldn't even find out here. Weird though, it's a store that sells only alcohol. Out here we can get beer from the supermarket if we want.
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There are two supermarkets in my town in which there is a phenomenal selection of beer, so I have no idea where the idea of "alcohol only" stores came from. Rick, I'm just curious, what town/city is your wife from? Because I can say that I went to Oakland, California, and came to the conclusion that the entire state is not a nice place.
 
LuckyPenny said:
There are two supermarkets in my town in which there is a phenomenal selection of beer, so I have no idea where the idea of "alcohol only" stores came from. Rick, I'm just curious, what town/city is your wife from? Because I can say that I went to Oakland, California, and came to the conclusion that the entire state is not a nice place.
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Only 2 supermarkets per chain (Kings is one you are shopping at, yes?) can have a liquor licence to sell in the state of NJ.

Guess what, yes, there are high taxes, and all the politicians are criminals, but guess what, the turnpike corridor from exit 9 to 18 is a crap hole, but guess what thats not the whole state. go to central or southern New Jersey, and it is a beautiful state. Guess what california, Ive been to your state and guess what you have crappy parts too. And texas, and pennsylvania etc etc.

There are some things that need to be fixed, but please remove your heads from your rectums, have a homebrew, and get over "ewwwww NJ". There are some people that like it here, like me.

:rockin:
 
LuckyPenny said:
There are two supermarkets in my town in which there is a phenomenal selection of beer, so I have no idea where the idea of "alcohol only" stores came from. Rick, I'm just curious, what town/city is your wife from? Because I can say that I went to Oakland, California, and came to the conclusion that the entire state is not a nice place.
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They called it a package store or something. Wife is from Kearny, kinda right outside Newark. Kearny isn't bad but Newark is like Oakland. ;-)

Don't judge California on Oakland. Really the place is kindof a dump. It's where the OAKLAND RAIDERS got their reputation. Stay away from Stockton too.

Beer, Beer, Beer. Going to hooters for some beer and wings today.
 
foyt20 said:
Guess what, yes, there are high taxes, and all the politicians are criminals, but guess what, the turnpike corridor from exit 9 to 18 is a crap hole, but guess what thats not the whole state. go to central or southern New Jersey, and it is a beautiful state. Guess what california, Ive been to your state and guess what you have crappy parts too. And texas, and pennsylvania etc etc.

There are some things that need to be fixed, but please remove your heads from your rectums, have a homebrew, and get over "ewwwww NJ". There are some people that like it here, like me.

:rockin:
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OK. I admit it. CA has some Ewwww places that I wouldn't want to walk in in the daytime let alone at night.
Back on topic.


Favorite Wings at hooters: Parmasean garlic wings.
Favorite beer at hooters: Nothing. It's mostly BMC but it's cheap and you're at hooters.
 
Hey ABG, where on SI are you? I spent my first 26 years in Tottenville.

Now I'm out in the northwestern part of NJ. In the woods, on 5 beautiful, wooded acres.

Yes, the laws suck, the taxes blow, the government is corrupt and eats money like Sally Struthers at a Vegas buffet, but way out here really is a nice place to live. The people are nice and friendly, the roads are quiet, plenty of farms for fresh produce and beer ingredients :)

PC300002.jpg


-Joe
 
Also, regarding the permit: I ignored it for the last 3 years, but I'm in the process of trying to go pro and am harassing assemblypeople and senators about laws, so I thought it'd be good if I finally applied :)

I sent in my $15 and had my homebrewing certificate less than a week later.

-Joe
 

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