FTH to B'ham Bud: This boycott's for you

Free the Hops, the grassroots organization trying to change Alabama's restrictive beer laws, is calling for a boycott of Anheuser-Busch products from Birmingham Budweiser, an AB distributor. Stuart Carter, FTH's president, says B'ham Bud is opposing its effort to pass a local bill in the upcoming legislative session that would lift some restrictions on beer in Jefferson County.

FTH announced the boycott in this press release. A list of B'ham Bud-distributed beers is included in this thread at FTH's discussion forum.

It's worth noting that the boycott specifically targets AB brands in Jefferson County, where B'ham Bud distributes. It's not the brewer they're asking folks to boycott, but the local distributor.

My first thought was that FTH's gourmet beer fans might not drink many AB products to begin with. I asked Carter this via e-mail, and he replied the boycott's aim was not so much to hurt sales, but to publicize the distributor's opposition to FTH's efforts.

I've put in a call to Birmingham Budweiser, specifically to Pat Lynch, the company vice president that Carter names in the press release as opposing the Jefferson County bill. Left a voicemail, but no response yet. I've not seen anyone from the company quoted in any other stories about boycott out there in the Web.

Now, a bit of disclosure. I joined Free the Hops back in June at the Magic City Beer Festival. Obviously, as a columnist who explores the diversity of beer, I'm an advocate for more beer diversity in Alabama. I joined to support that cause, thinking that appearances of conflict of interest probably wouldn't arise. It looks like I was wrong in that assumption. I plan to let my FTH membership expire, but you can still expect me to advocate for more beer diversity in Alabama through my column and the blog. But I want readers and the people & companies I cover to believe they're being treated fairly, even if they disagree with me.

What are your thoughts on the boycott? Will you participate?