Legal Age to Brew?

[passedpawn]

Rdwhahb&dbad!

 

[kidsmakeyoucrazy]

I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before homebrew equipment/ingredients become age-regulated.

I'm unaware of any jurisdiction that already does this, but I can certainly see why HBS would want to card people to avoid the possible liability that a minor homebrewed, got drunk on it, died/seriously injured themselves/killed or injured somebody else, and gets a nice lawsuit and/or criminal prosecution. Would a jury distinguish between selling a 12 pack of coors to a minor and selling a minor the tools to make an unlimited supply of beer? Maybe, maybe not.

The fact that anyone would think this is a good idea is what is wrong with this country. Not bashing you, but I can already see some politician looking for something the media can latch onto and trying to regulate the purchase of plastic buckets and grain. I actually hope it happens because I will do my best to make sure that politician looks like a complete ass.

 

[Haputanlas]

I am pretty sure that this will not happen. Homebrewing has been around for a very long time and is no threat. It would also be way too hard to regulate all of these ingredients.

I don't remember anyone I went to high school with who actually did this and accomplished anything as well. Obviously it happens, but I haven't heard many horror stories behind it.

 

[Corkster]

....I will do my best to make sure that politician looks like a complete ass.

Chances are, if he's a politician, you won't have to work hard to make him look like an ass... he'll do a fine job all by himself.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

The fact that anyone would think this is a good idea is what is wrong with this country. Not bashing you, but I can already see some politician looking for something the media can latch onto and trying to regulate the purchase of plastic buckets and grain. I actually hope it happens because I will do my best to make sure that politician looks like a complete ass.

Not saying I want it to happen, just pointing out an unfortunate possibility. One I do not want to see happen...

It would actually be pretty easy to regulate at the storefront level. HBS would have to card people to buy anything related to beermaking or any items that they knew the customer would use to make beer. They would regulate it pretty much the same as beer sales at a grocery store.

It only takes a few ridiculous news stories showing 19 year olds getting drunk on homebrew and getting into an accident or confuse homebrewing with distilling and all the panicked parent groups would be writing their representatives asking for regulation.

Ridiculous, of course, but we're also a nation that banned alcohol over moral issues...

 

[olllllo]

It really only takes an over zealous Alcohol Control Board, for which there would be little recourse.

 

[Haputanlas]

Even if you could require HBSs to card, each of the ingredients can be legally purchased anywhere else.

 

[kidsmakeyoucrazy]

Not saying I want it to happen, just pointing out an unfortunate possibility. One I do not want to see happen...

It would actually be pretty easy to regulate at the storefront level. HBS would have to card people to buy anything related to beermaking or any items that they knew the customer would use to make beer. They would regulate it pretty much the same as beer sales at a grocery store.

It only takes a few ridiculous news stories showing 19 year olds getting drunk on homebrew and getting into an accident or confuse homebrewing with distilling and all the panicked parent groups would be writing their representatives asking for regulation.

Ridiculous, of course, but we're also a nation that banned alcohol over moral issues...

We're also in a nation that intentionally poisoned and killed 10,000+ people during prohibition...where do you think "denatured" alcohol came from? When the funky taste wasn't enough to stop folks from drinking it the govt ordered industrial alcohol manufacturers to poison their hooch....thanks!

Never trust your government. They are there to serve you...never forget it, and never let them forget it.

But today this is all fantasy. They might be able to pull off such nonsense in say NYC, but here NC, those same items are what Joe farmer would send his kid to the store to get or place an order for that his kid would accept on any given day. Now I'll grant you that the hops and special malts aren't ordinary fare, but it's not like you need those to make alcohol. Do you think "Dale" at the feed store is going to tell some farmers boy that he can't buy grains or buckets?

I'd really love for some idiot politician to try this...I really would.. I'm in the mood for an argument

 

[olllllo]

I'm in the mood for an argument

OK, but not here.

Debate forum or elsewhere, please.

 

[kidsmakeyoucrazy]

OK, but not here.

Debate forum or elsewhere, please.

No worries unless we have idiot politicians waiting to pounce on my invitiation In that case we'll move it elsewhere.

 

[krops13]

Congrats passedpawn you're my first sig quote.

 

[skyzo]

I started home brewing at 18, and I'm sure glad that it wasnt regulated. I appreciated good beer at the time, but hadn't had too many microbrews. I moved to a new place where I didn't know anyone, so I had no one to buy alcohol for me, so I figured why not?
So my first beer was just a BMC clone, but then I figured why make crappy cheap stuff when the possibilites are endless? Its been an adventure ever since

 

[DilvishTheDamned]

There's a pod cast on Basic Brewing Radio of a kid doing some homebrew for a science experiment. His teacher was fine with it as long as he stopped the fermentation a few days in, and his dad was supervising the whole time.

Really I think this is partially a non-starter. I suspect that 99% of the LHBS owners will discourage kids from getting into the hobby too early (ie early teens). I suspect that most credit card company will not issue cards to people who shouldn't be drinking, which would put a stop to internet orders. Besides, the sort of irresponsible parents that would be clueless that their kids were homebrewing (and getting kits via the internet) on a regular basis are going to have other problems with them.

As far as regulation goes, it's pretty simple thing to stop, since hops, brewer's yeast, extract, and malt are all specialty items without any real use outside of brewing. Sure you can make other things into hooch, like apple cider + bread yeast, but beer brewing supplies would be simple to regulate.

 

[LVBen]

I suspect that most credit card company will not issue cards to people who shouldn't be drinking, which would put a stop to internet orders.

What are you talking about? 18 year olds can and do get credit cards, and I doubt they would even know if one of their 18 year old customers was buying stuff from online brew stores for making beer.

 

[Haputanlas]

I got my debit card at 16. That card can be used as a credit card for online ordering.

 

[olllllo]

You might be shocked to learn that our Local HBS has been flagged by credit card companies as an alcohol related purchase.

I got a call yesterday to confirm and approve the purchase.

The data is there.

 

[bob1852]

You might be shocked to learn that our Local HBS has been flagged by credit card companies as an alcohol related purchase.

I got a call yesterday to confirm and approve the purchase.

The data is there.

Which one? Chuck's place?

 

[olllllo]

Which one? Chuck's place?

Brewers Connection.

I'm sure the flag exists, it's just up to the CC company to implement it.

I was using my Alaskan Airlines Visa (personal not corporate). Normally my DesertSchools MC doesn't have a problem

I know that as a Homebrew club, once in a while we have to approve alcohol purchases on the club credit card. Not sure if that was placed by the bank automatically because it's a non-profit or what the deal is.

 

[olllllo]

Oh and I almost forgot. The ASU homebrew club is absolutley barred by ASU from making purchases at BC. Their credit card was denied by ASU.

 

[bob1852]

Brewers Connection.

I'm sure the flag exists, it's just up to the CC company to implement it.

I was using my Alaskan Airlines Visa (personal not corporate). Normally my DesertSchools MC doesn't have a problem

I've used my VISA and DSFCU debit at both Phx LHBS without a problem (thankfully).

Oh and I almost forgot. The ASU homebrew club is absolutley barred by ASU from making purchases at BC. Their credit card was denied by ASU.

Wow, that's just wrong...

 

[olllllo]

It's kind of weird. They are ASU funded. They can buy books and equipment online, but no ingredients.

 

[Sawdustguy]

Never been questioned, I think that most shop owners realize that if someone is going through the trouble to brew quality beer, they are also drinking it in a responsible manner, and therefore feel no reason to stop them. If I just drank to get hammered, I would not be going through the trouble to brew it form scratch. There are far cheaper and easier ways for minors to get alcohol.

Absolutely! It brings back memories. Back in the day Boones Farm Apple Wine was popular. I took a Mott's Apple Juice bottle and filled it up with Boones Farm for a quick drink between classes in High School. For the hell of it, I even offered a teacher some of my "Apple Juice" and he said no thank you and complemented me on drinking something healthy instead of soda pop. If he only knew. It looked like apple juice and the teachers were none the wiser. We even mixed some rum in our Coke Bottles and in a pinch drank mouth wash. We were very stupid back then but it proves how inventive minors can be if they want a drink.

 

[mrmekon]

I'm surprised at how many here think it's a good idea for the LHBS to card. It seems absolutely wrong to me to card someone to purchase a bunch of things that they can legally purchase, even if there is an implication that they're going to brew with it. Plastic bottles, sugar, and yeast? They could buy apple juice and harvest yeast out of the air...

*Distilling* is not a natural process and restricting it makes perfect sense, but fermentation is easier to do than to avoid. Just have some food... and wait.

Maybe that comes from my background of highly suspect hobbies. I got weird looks when I was 17 and trying to procure 2 gallons of sulfuric acid... but darn it, reversal film isn't going to bleach itself. I hate age restrictions.

 

[olllllo]

I'm almost positive that no on is taking a position that it SHOULD be done, only that they understand why a business might do so to cover ass.

Other than that, there was some doubt over whether it could be done (specific to CC).

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Does raise a question tho'.

Legal drinking age is 21 but, an 18 year old can legally serve alcohol in a restaurant.

what then would the legal minimum age to work in a established brewery be? 16? 18? 21?

 

[krops13]

I PERSONALLY THINK if you old enough to serve your country your old enough to be served by your country.

 

[LVBen]

Legal drinking age is 21 but, an 18 year old can legally serve alcohol in a restaurant.

Not in Nevada. In Nevada, you must be at least 21 to serve alcohol. You also have to be at least 21 in order to ring up alcohol as a checker in a grocery store.

That brings up an interesting other question... how old should you be to work at a home brew store?

 

[klyph]

I think the notion of a group of people getting together to decide what other people aren't allowed to do, that they themselves do regularly, is ridiculous.

 

[Scooby_Brew]

Legal Age to Brew?

It's not alcohol, till you start fermenting it. Till then it's a food product. If malted grains were subject to the same laws as beer, so should be honey (you make mead out of it), apple juice (apfelwein), sugar, corn, all kind of fruit.
"Sorry kid, you have to be 21 to buy this apple juice. Oh, you want this cough syrup and a tube of glue instead? Not a problem".

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I think the notion of a group of people getting together to decide what other people aren't allowed to do, that they themselves do regularly, is ridiculous.

That's Politics Brother.