Sidestepping a Law

[gwalt]

I'm looking for a few recommendations of beer stores that ship their wares. I live in Alabama and our backwards state laws prohibit ABV greater than 6%. I am quite tired of missing out on the opportunity to purchase these brews that I have consumed out of state. I travel out of state monthly but the TSA frowns on trying to board the plane with three growlers in tow!

Recommendations of stores and brews greatly appreciated.

 

[Saccharomyces]

I thought Alabama didn't allow these beers to be shipped in either, so you may not find a store that will ship to you. Maybe you should find someone to do a beer swap with you instead.

 

[Beerrific]

Here is a thought: take a Saturday and drive over here to Atlanta, stop by Green's, and load up your car.

Yeah, I know it sounds asinine but really it will cost around $30 in gas, much less than shipping will end up costing and it is completely (well, I assume) legal. Plus if you drop us a line, we might be able to arrange a HBT meet-up at a local brewpub.

 

[gwalt]

Sometime ago I was given a 1 year subscription to a beer o' the month club. Some of the more unique bottles I saved and the label on 3 of the 5 indicate a content higher than six percent.

This is amazing: http://www.legislature.state.al.us/CodeofAlabama/1975/28-4A-3.htm

I'm still trying to determine if purchasing for individual consumption voilates state law.

 

[zman]

Remind me to never move to Alabama. That is just bat **** looney...no offense

 

[chefchris]

I feel your pain. I use to live in Mississippi. My solution ... move to Florida. Homebrewing is legal and much better beer.

 

[gwalt]

Remind me to never move to Alabama. That is just bat **** looney...no offense

Don't let the strange laws fool ya, this is a wonderful state. I was raised here and fled to only return after 10 years. I never thought I would return but stranger things have happened.

I feel your pain. I use to live in Mississippi. My solution ... move to Florida. Homebrewing is legal and much better beer.

Florida is great, the SWMBO is from Florida. I lived in Orlando for about 9 months which was an experience.

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

WOW.... Alabama must be a beer void in the Universe if Florida is so much better it is worth moving to.... I have been there several times and have found it to be one of the worst places for beer I have ever found.... weird.

 

[MaynardX]

More of a reason to brew your own. I'm originally from West (by god) Virginia and they have a similar law. It wasn't till I moved to Delaware that I began to appreciate beer as it should be (I discovered Dog Fish Head tastes better then Miller Lite). Since then I've been hooked and started brewing my own soon after. My brothers still live in WV and I'm trying to get them to start making their own beer, but I think they might be too lazy.

 

[dataz722]

Whats with all the Delaware people showing up on here in the past few weeks!

 

[Domminigan]

My relatives live in Smith Center, KS. Totally dry county... we thought. Turns out they will grant a liquor license to anyone that does not live within the county limits.

The only place you can buy higher than 3.2% alcohol content by volume is in a liquor store.
Kansas really bugs me sometimes.

 

[0202]

"Homebrewing is illegal in Alabama, and comes with a $2000 USD fine and up to a year in jail."

Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control pays homebrewer a visit

 

[aguy90]

My relatives live in Smith Center, KS. Totally dry county... we thought. Turns out they will grant a liquor license to anyone that does not live within the county limits.

The only place you can buy higher than 3.2% alcohol content by volume is in a liquor store.
Kansas really bugs me sometimes.

that's awesome! i would love to see the smith center redmen in person. coach barta's wishbone offense has the football forums buzzing.

[sorry, end hijack]

 

[aguy90]

"Homebrewing is illegal in Alabama, and comes with a $2000 USD fine and up to a year in jail."

Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control pays homebrewer a visit

it is illegal, but i don't know how strictly it's enforced. there are atleast two homebrew shops in alabama. i also know people are pretty open about what they are doing, if they are brewing.

now if you make a big deal about you being a homebrewer, you might get made an example of.

 

[Kass_Brauhaus]

Screw anti-homebrew laws! You'd think that with congress trying twice in the past 25 years to make home-distilling legal we'd be past this. These laws are silly--I tried to ship a carton of wine back from Australia for my wedding and couldn't do it. So FINE! I took 14 bottles of wine back with me, declared it on the form, but buried it in the other stuff. Customs agent didn't even notice.

 

[craigd]

WOW.... Alabama must be a beer void in the Universe if Florida is so much better it is worth moving to.... I have been there several times and have found it to be one of the worst places for beer I have ever found.... weird.

Florida used to have some wacky beer laws too but as far as I know we are pretty open now. The wife and i just polished off a bottle of Hennepin and 2 bottles of St Bernardus 12... We get most of the well known craft brews and have a selection of Brewpubs and breweries. I suppose it can make a difference where you are in the state - I'm sort of in the 'burbs between Daytona Beach and Orlando and I can't really complain about selection.

 

[JMSetzler]

I live in North Carolina and I believe the maximum here is 6% also. It sorta sucks but we survive somehow...

 

[TheProph3t]

I live in tampa bay, got 3 brewery's locally

 

[0202]

I was just posting that link because home brewing is getting scrutiny in Alabama. It's not
unknown for the government to crusade unreasonably and trample people's lives in the
process.

Just, you know, a heads up.

Personally, I think that restricting the % of alcohol is retarded. Same goes for not selling
alcohol on Sunday.

Keep your problems / theocracy out of my leisure time!

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

To Alabama legislature: Resistance is futile.

 

[gwalt]

I was just posting that link because home brewing is getting scrutiny in Alabama. It's not
unknown for the government to crusade unreasonably and trample people's lives in the
process.

Just, you know, a heads up.

Personally, I think that restricting the % of alcohol is retarded. Same goes for not selling
alcohol on Sunday.

Keep your problems / theocracy out of my leisure time!

I've participated on the FreetheHops message board a bit and everybody over there ends their posts with... "....if I actually homebrewed" or something along those lines.

These laws are ridiculous for this day in time. I was watching a posted by FTH supporters last week of the debate in Committee over the bill that would increase the ABV and container size. It was like looking back 50 years. Look at 5:30 into the video.. WOW!

The best part is at 6:24.. WHATS WRONG WITH BEER WE GOT?!

 

[pen25]

My relatives live in Smith Center, KS. Totally dry county... we thought. Turns out they will grant a liquor license to anyone that does not live within the county limits.

The only place you can buy higher than 3.2% alcohol content by volume is in a liquor store.
Kansas really bugs me sometimes.

many states have this law. well ok not many many but i know oklahoma has the same law. also cant be sold cold. in ks you can buy 6pt bud beer in the liquor stores but in the grocer they are only 3pt. and its cold. here you buy warm which is fine.

 

[Beernip]

Get a large suitcase. Your clothes fix in one half and hard plastic case fits in the other half. Pack with tissue and check in your luggage. I use this when going overseas and bringing back local beer and spirits.

 

[PavlovsCat]

Florida used to have some wacky beer laws too but as far as I know we are pretty open now.

From what I was told about the old Fla beer laws, cronies of Augie Busch who ran his distributing operations in Fla, and were connected politically, got the law to read that only certain fluid ounce sizes could be legally sold in Fla. These were the ones that the American big breweries produced. Since most foreign beers at the time were sold in mls or liter or partial liter sizes, they were excluded from being sold in Florida. I once tasted Chamay a number of years ago and wanted to pick some up when I got home. I was told this was the reason I couldn't get any in Fla. Anyone else heard this story?

 

[chefchris]

Florida used to have some wacky beer laws too but as far as I know we are pretty open now.

From what I was told about the old Fla beer laws, cronies of Augie Busch who ran his distributing operations in Fla, and were connected politically, got the law to read that only certain fluid ounce sizes could be legally sold in Fla. These were the ones that the American big breweries produced. Since most foreign beers at the time were sold in mls or liter or partial liter sizes, they were excluded from being sold in Florida. I once tasted Chamay a number of years ago and wanted to pick some up when I got home. I was told this was the reason I couldn't get any in Fla. Anyone else heard this story?

Nope, there's plenty of Chimay down here.

 

[PavlovsCat]

They didn't have Chimay here in the early nineties.

 

[sirsloop]

Road trip!

As long as you don't appear on the main page of CNN or something, do you honestly think anyone will care? No.

 

[craigd]

From what I was told about the old Fla beer laws, cronies of Augie Busch who ran his distributing operations in Fla, and were connected politically, got the law to read that only certain fluid ounce sizes could be legally sold in Fla. These were the ones that the American big breweries produced. Since most foreign beers at the time were sold in mls or liter or partial liter sizes, they were excluded from being sold in Florida. I once tasted Chamay a number of years ago and wanted to pick some up when I got home. I was told this was the reason I couldn't get any in Fla. Anyone else heard this story?

That's the story I was told as well. I think there were a lot of imported beers you couldn't get here 10 or so years ago when I first started brewing (took a hiatus for a few years so I still consider myself a beginner) and I remember my LHBS being excited about new bottle laws because he sells beer as well.

 

[ChshreCat]

That's all crazy. I can go to the grocery store and pick up a bomber or 6 pack of barley wine, nice and cold. And I can buy as many of 'em as I want. Gotta love Washington for some things.

I think I might do that after work tonight. Hoegaarden is on sale at Haggen!