Would you still brew if it became illegal

[Idrum6969]

I love making beer........ I would keep on brewing unless it became really difficult to do. Then I'd just shift over to wine,mead or cider. One way or another I would make something tasty. On another note: I hope we never see this hypothetical question come to reality on a nationwide basis. It is a funky time right now and I guess anything is possible.

 

[CatHead]

Prohibition, yes I would keep brewing.
If just homebrewing became illegal it would completely depend on the penalty for getting caught.

 

[the_trout]

There's no reason to stop doing something that's meaningful to you simply because someone else says it's illegal.

Thats true. The reason to stop is the associated punishment.

 

[HeavyKettleBrewing]

Let's just paint a scenario in which homebrewing became so popular that it affected the profits of commercial brewers by a large margin. Corrupt govt officials with ties to corporations influence legislation and pass laws or new taxes to either outlaw or make homebrewing extremely costly. It happens every day with oil, water, energy, medicine, insurance, banking, guns, alcohol...If homebrewing were to become illegal, I would guess that many more of our rights will have been compromised or soon to be threatened. Under certain circumstances, it's not about breaking laws. Under certain circumstances, hell yes I will break the law (from my secluded mountain bunker)

 

[CoalCreekBeer]

If brewing were illegal, I would absolutely still brew (assuming I could still get ingredients easily)

 

[stvo]

Funny thing happened on Saturday nights brew... I usually don't get started so late 9:30pm, so here I am in my backyard with 2 clamp-on style floods lighting my kettle and my tv tray with all the fixin's for my additions and a helicopter is flying about 15 miles away in another city with it's spot on circling I think nothing of it ....

(where I live it's city police, same with the 4 or 5 neighboring city's and they all kick in $$ for a this helicopter so they all use it when needed, anyway when it goes out on a call and the situation is over they usually stay out flying around for an hour and lighting up what ever they want with that spot)

So my stuff is sanitized and ready, and I've got about 15 min before my last addition so I'm just sitting there having a homebrew relaxing and the helicopter starts to head back to base which happens to be in my direction hitting the spot on and off circling checking stuff out, I guess just do some training... as it is approaching me what do you think the first thing I do??? YES I turn out the lights, I'm sitting there in the dark with my beer in hand, the smell of hops and the soft roar of my burner, then it dawns on me I'm not cooking meth or distilling anything, what I'm doing is perfectly legal!!! So I put the lights back on and go about my business. Too funny! But seriously I sure thought at the very least I would get a knock on the back gate by a regular patrol unit!! Didn't happen

I would still brew if it were illegal just not outside!!

 

[Proboscidea]

Even if the punishment was castration?

Do you need 'em to brew, or to drink? Nah. So what's the big deal? Bring it on! :rockin:

 

[Proboscidea]

... Hm, that did give me an idea for a scene-setting detail of a high fantasy novel, though. Prepare to be dazzled.

In a land of dragons and magic and castles, brewing intoxicants for commoners is quite illegal, upon penalty of castration. But everybody does it anyway, because, woo hoo, intoxicants. Once you get caught & snipped, however, the nobles allow you to continue brewing for the rest of your life, as long as it's in their service, because they always need booze for feasts & festivals.

So you have this small army of hardcore brewer-eunuchs tied to each royal house. Which royal houses, by the way, are constantly at war with each other.

One day, one of the brewer-eunuchs gets this idea that they could train their bees -- did I mention they keep bees too? Because of mead, duh. -- to fly in formation and attack on command. It takes a lot of patience to do this, but what else are the brewer-eunuchs going to do during the long lulls of boredom on brew day? (note: they have apprentices to do all the cleaning and grunt tasks, so the brewer-eunuchs basically just sit around drinking beer until they need to get off their butts to add hops, turn the knob to drain the wort, etc.)

After many years, the bee-training brewer-eunuch manages to get them to fly in close formation. Close enough to be able to carry the brewer-eunuchs across the land. Hilarity ensues.

Nobles are always standing on their balconies, gazing out across their lands, perhaps cackling evilly every few minutes. One day, the local ruler is standing & gazing, and they see this bee-borne brewer-eunuch flying in the distance. As he gets closer, the noble sees that ... YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO BUY THE BOOK

which I am never going to write

 

[OrdinaryAvgGuy]

Do you need 'em to brew, or to drink? Nah. So what's the big deal? Bring it on! :rockin:

You are hardcore brotha. I may consider giving up food first.

 

[Beernik]

Brewing was illegal in Utah when I started. It's only been legal here for 5 or 6 years.

 

[OrdinaryAvgGuy]

Brewing was illegal in Utah when I started. It's only been legal here for 5 or 6 years.

Thank gawd for statues of limitation.

While were are admitting our crimes.. 15 years ago I stole a car, wrote some bad checks, sold crack, impersonated an officer, burnt down a house, stole some credit card numbers, embezzled money, purchased several prostitutes, vandalized a structure, and stole an old lady's purse.

JK mista ossifer!

 

[beaksnbeer]

"They can try to pry the mash paddle from my cold, dead hands."

Now I want to make a mash paddle from your dead arm

It hasn't been that long that it's been legal to make beer (1979) Growing up though in the small town I did there were quite a few beer and wine makers as well as distillers. You could buy malt from Breiss in Milwaukee bulk price if you brought your own bags/buckets sold as feed

 

[ibbones]

I think I would still brew...but it would not be in the driveway where everyone could see me.
I guess like others have said, what is the punishment? It might not be worth it.

 

[Phunhog]

Thank goodness that with the political climate now I could never, ever see homebrewing being outlawed again. Hopefully the restrictions (200 gal. limit, where you can serve, etc.) will soon be updated to bring us into the 21st century.

 

[BellAub]

Heck ya I would Still brew. Besides, most of the cops in my town brew too.

 

[Beernik]

Now that I think about it, it wasn't technically illegal to homebrew in Utah prior to 2009. But to be legal, you had to do everything a commercial brewery did: full licensing and posting a $10,000 bond. Failure to comply with the State law could result in a fine of up to $25,000.

In 2009, an exemption for licensing was granted for individuals producing less than 200 gallons for personal consumption.

 

[Robar]

As long as I'm hurting no one else I've never let the legalities forced upon me by others (who do as they wish) slow me down.

 

[Grossy]

Would you still brew if it became illegal?

Every year when I reach 200 gallons, usually in November, I stop brewing...

Must stay within the law, you know...

 

[jiggs_casey]

Yep.

 

[rjbank]

It would only make it more of a thrill!!

 

[ajdelange]

Every year when I reach 200 gallons, usually in November, I stop brewing...

Every year when I reach 200 gal I have 'guest brewers'. He who pitches the yeast defines who the brewer is. This person pushes the button that starts the yeast pump and he signs the log book as 'brewer of record'.

Actually as I spend 4 mos out of the year in Canada now I doubt I will reach the US 200 gal limit again any time soon. I don't brew up here but even if I start I guess that doesn't count against by US limit.

 

[thatjonguy]

Of course not. I would dispose of any brewing equipment.

 

[beaksnbeer]

Every year when I reach 200 gallons, usually in November, I stop brewing...

Must stay within the law, you know...

My next "year" starts when I reach 200 gallons not quite sure which year I'm in anymore

 

[Beernik]

It's like a fiscal year.

I don't think I'll even break 100 this year. All of my carboys were tied up with conditioning wine, mead, and cyser for most of the year.

 

[beaksnbeer]

I just hit 175 gallons for the year yeasterday

 

[Billy-Klubb]

I haven't even hit 50 gallons this year...

again, I shall reiterate: they can try to pry the mash paddle from my cold dead hands. and that's an invite.

 

[Billy-Klubb]

Now I want to make a mash paddle from your dead arm

It hasn't been that long that it's been legal to make beer (1979) Growing up though in the small town I did there were quite a few beer and wine makers as well as distillers. You could buy malt from Breiss in Milwaukee bulk price if you brought your own bags/buckets sold as feed

how did I not "like" this statement before?

 

[Randy_Bugger]

I'm waiting for it to become illegal and then I'll start homebrewing.

 

[Mare_Mortis]

F*** the po-po...(unless you happen to be a law enforcement officer, in that case thank you very much for your hard work and service)

 

[thatjonguy]

F*** the po-po...(unless you happen to be a law enforcement officer, in that case thank you very much for your hard work and service)

Your local cops aren't going to care much if it is illegal. Sounds like a federal problem. At least the way I see it. They have more important things to do instead of hassle homebrewers. Excepts for the guys on power trips that somehow made it through the psych eval.