We live in an enlightened age of beer — The Silver Age — which is perhaps the best time ever for beer in America in terms of diversity, quality and innovation. If, however, you’re one of the unfortunate souls living today in Alabama, only 1/3 of the beers made in the world are legally allowed to be sold there. The Yellowhammer State is determined to keep its beers yellow and fizzy. Only beer under 6% abv is legal there and only in packages holding 16 oz. or less. As you might expect, wine has no size restrictions and can be up to 24% and spirits have no restrictions whatsoever. Hypocrisy is no stranger to Alabama.
There are other odd restrictions, too, such as homebrewing is still illegal, one of only four holdout states (along with Kentucky, Mississippi and Oklahoma). For a more complete picture of the antiquated restrictions in Alabama, visit Free the Hops.
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Free the Hops is a grassroots organization that started in 2004 that’s trying to drag Alabama’s beer laws into the 21st Century and, sadly, they’re meeting with a lot of resistance from … well, let’s say folks who would rather keep the status quo, don’t really understand what’s happening in the rest of the world, and would rather Alabamians stopped drinking altogether.
Despite these hurdles, and with the support of 61 businesses in the state, they’ve managed to get their “Gourmet Bill” through the house and the state senate is poised to vote on it later this week. As you might imagine, such effort needs money. To raise some funds for the fight, Free the Hops is conducting a raffle of rare beers at only $4 per raffle ticket, 3 for $10 or 5 for $15. There’s a special raffle website where you can buy raffle tickets online using credit cards or PayPal. It couldn’t be easier and it’s for a very worthy cause. I just bought five tickets. Who’s next? Let’s help Alabama to enjoy more of the wonderful beers we take for granted. |
Thanks for the support. Hopefully it will come up for a vote this week.
Alabama homebrewers, in an effort separate from Free the Hops, are working towards legalization (SB492) this session.
I saw some of these guys at Dark Lord Day in Munster. I’m hoping for the best in Alabama. It’s not just about Bama, it’s about beer. So, I’m in agreement with the sentiment.