Looking to next year

I just spoke with Stuart Carter, president of Free the Hops, the group pushing the Gourmet Beer Bill to raise the allowed alcohol-by-volume limit on beer sold in the Alabama to 13.9 percent from 6 percent. He said last night's failure by the state Senate to do much of anything has ended any chance of passing the bill this year. Carter and other members were disappointed, to say the least.

"If it had been voted down that would have been a more understandable outcome than it never having been discussed," Carter said. Like most of the other bills awaiting the Senate's attention, the beer bill died as the Senate bickered over and failed to act on the state's 2009 education budget. The beer bill won't be up for consideration if Gov. Bob Riley calls a special session of the Legislature, Carter said.

FTH members and supporters are now turning their attention to the second annual Magic City Brewfest, scheduled for May 31 and June 1 at Birmingham's Sloss Furnaces.

"The Brewfest is an opportunity to introduce more people to the delight of good beer," Carter said. He also said it's "a good way to get more people frustrated and focused in their anger" over the Senate's failure to act.

"And of course we want people to have an absolute blast at the weekend, because we want them to come back for next year’s Brewfest," he said.

Another year to wait?

The Alabama Senate adjourned last night without passing an education budget or accomplishing much of anything else, let alone getting close to touching the Gourmet Beer Bill. Free the Hops' President Stuart Carter, in a post on the group's blog that was also e-mailed to members and supporters, wrote that Alabamans were "failed by the Senate." Beyond FTH's pet issue of raising the ABV limit on beer, Carter urged members to complain to their senators about their lack of action on on much of anything this year (or last), and to remember it come election time in 2010.

In the meantime, what will FTH do about the ABV limit? Wait another year? Try their luck in a special session if Gov. Bob Riley calls one? What are your thoughts. Click below to leave a comment.

Update

It could be that we'll never know if Gov. Bob Riley would sign a bill to increase the amount of alcohol allowed in beer here this year. It could also be that we'll never know if the Senate would approve such a measure. That's because the Senate is stalled in its final day of deliberation on the state's education budget. The Associated Press is reporting that the Senate is in danger of ending the session without an ed budget, meaning any other bills scheduled to be heard today could be left for dead.

Could they come up in a special session, along with the ed budget? That remains to be seen. Whether that happens, or whether Free the Hops has to wait another year, there is at least a bright side: supporters will have more time to educate Riley on the issue, hopefully earning his signature on any effort that gets hard-won approval from the Legislature.

Today's the day

The Alabama Senate should today take up what supporters have called the Gourmet Beer Bill, which would increase the allowed alcohol limit for beer to 13.9 percent from 6 percent. Free the Hops, the citizens' group which has sought the change for three years now, decided two weeks ago to hold off on having the bill considered as tensions were running high in the Senate's rush to get things done.

That brings us to today, the last day anything can be considered by the Senate and become law. If it manages to pass today, it'll then go to the governor's desk for his signature. Previously, FTH had said they'd heard Gov. Bob Riley would sign such a bill. A story in Saturday's Montgomery Advertiser seemed to indicate otherwise, however. Posters at FTH's message forum are understandably nervous.

Will today be the day that the Legislature gives its approval for higher-quality beer in Alabama? And what will the governor do if lawmakers say yes? Anyone in the state who loves beer is sure to be watching today. Stay tuned.

Down to the wire

Is the promised land in sight? The folks at Free the Hops say the Gourmet Beer Bill, HB196, will finally be up for discussion in the Alabama Senate this week, likely on Tuesday. The bill would raise the allowed alcohol limit on beer sold here from 6 percent alcohol by volume to 13.9 percent.

The group's president, Stuart Carter, sent an e-mail to supporters this morning asking that they call their senators to ask for a yes vote on the bill.

This could the last real hurdle in the years-long effort to raise the ABV limit. If HB196 clears the Senate, it'll go to Gov. Bob Riley, needing his signature to become law. FTH leaders have said they've been told the governor will sign the bill if it comes to him.

Many of the world's best beers contain more than 6 percent alcohol, including much of the stuff being produced by America's many craft brewers, who are seeing an explosion of consumer interest in their beers. Alabama is one of three states where the alcohol limit is so low. Advocates for change say the law is keeping quality beer out of Alabama.

Beer on the radio - nationwide

NPR on Wednesday aired a segment on the effort to lift Alabama's 6-percent alcohol by volume beer limit, on its All Things Considered program. The report was by WBHM's Tanya Ott.

It's a good, basic overview of the issue. Rev. Dan Ireland of ALCAP gets to say how afraid he is that expensive beer will get into the hands of Alabama teenagers. But that's quickly countered by Rep. Patricia Todd, who says teenagers are likely looking for the cheapest hooch available - just like she did when she was a kid (kudos for your reasoning and on your honesty, Rep. Todd).

High hilarity from the House

I somehow missed this last week when the bill to raise the allowed ABV level passed the Alabama House. A Free the Hops member recorded the live audio feed of debate from the House floor, overlaid photos of the Legislators and FTH-related events, and added lots of text commentary - responses to what legislators were saying and notes on FTH and beer in general. The results are available for your viewing and listening pleasure on YouTube. The video's embedded below.

The legislators you'll hear include both supporters and opponents of the bill. The most entertaining of all is Rep. Alvin Holmes, a Montgomery Democrat, who rails against the bill, saying "The beer we got drinks pretty good, don't it? I ain't never heard nobody complain about the beer we have." He lists Budweiser, Miller and Coors, asking again, "It drinks pretty good, don't it?" (This is before he dragged the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks into his argument, a segment that, sadly, is no included in the video.)

Rep. Holmes, I'd like to officially go on record as complaining about the beer we've got. They may be fine for some, but no, the beers you listed "don't drink too good" as far as I'm concerned. I'm also not sure why you and the rest of the Legislature should get to decide which brews are good enough for me.

Anyone else want to complain? Click below to comment.

Good press from out west

The Los Angeles Times this weekend published a thorough look at efforts to change Alabama's beer-related laws, with a particularly close look at homebrewing's illegality and Free the Hops' efforts to raise the 6-percent ABV limit.

Stephanie Simon's piece is perhaps the best-written, best-researched story the press has yet produced on the state of beer in Alabama. Bravo.

One voice I'm glad to see represented in the story is that of an ABC administrator. I don't know that I've seen anyone in Montgomery express this before (and to be fair, I haven't yet asked them myself):

"What's done in a private home often goes undiscovered," says John Richardson, assistant administrator of the alcohol control board. "You can imagine how confusing it is trying to enforce this."

Here's hoping you don't have to worry about it much longer, Mr. Richardson.

About those teenagers ...

All the legislatin' earlier this week has me thinking about a main argument of those against raising Alabama's 6-percent alcohol-by-volume limit for beer. Teenagers, they say, will get their hands on gourmet beers and guzzle them down like Kool-Aid, leading to Lord-knows-what type of other dangerous behavior.

First off, I'm not sure why other people's inability to keep their children from breaking the law should limit my choice of legal adult beverages. But given that some teens do wind up drinking beer, I'll entertain the following question: Are kids gonna to flock to higher-alcohol gourmet brews if they become legal in Alabama? The answer: not likely, because while they may be dumb, most teenagers aren't stupid.

Let's say I'm a 17-year-old with nothing constructive to do on Friday night. I've got $12 in my pocket, and an older sister who's willing to pop into the local convenience store to pick up something for me and three buddies to party with. Let's also say it's 2009, and last year the Legislature saw fit to raise the allowed ABV limit to 13.9 percent (this could happen) and distributors are now stocking America's finest craft beers in every corner store (I wish, but don't count on it), including the gas station where my sister will be buying the beer.

I know that the station stocks at least these two beers: 24-can cases of Natural Light, and four-bottle packs of Dogfish Head 90 Minute India Pale Ale. Both cost between $9 and $12. Which do I tell my sister to buy? Let's analyze:

24 12-ounce cans of Natural Light at 4.2 percent alcohol by volume (according to BeerAdvocate.com). That's six for me, and six for each of my friends. Or four 12-ounce bottles of the 90 Minute, at 9 percent ABV. That's one bottle for each of us.

If we're really planning to party I'll tell her to buy the Natty Light, won't I? One bottle of beer each won't fuel a fiesta for very long, after all, compared to the full six-pack apiece we'd get with the regular stuff.

But what if we're taken in by the label on the Dogfish Head, with its alluring mention of more alcohol? At 9 percent ABV, the four 12-ounce bottles contain a total of 4.32 ounces of alcohol. My buddies and I will sip 1.08 ounces of alcohol each, assuming the IPA's super-bitter taste doesn't make us spit it right back out.

By contrast, if sis gets us the Natty, at the much-lower 4.2 percent ABV, there's 12.096 ounces of alcohol in the entire case. My friends and I each drink 3.024 ounces of alcohol as we chug down our six light, "easy-to-drink" brewskis.

That's right. We wind up with three times as much alcohol in our systems drinking the "low-alcohol" Natural Light as we would with the "high-alcohol" 90 Minute IPA, for around the same price.

Now, I hope Alabama's parents can find a way to teach their children responsible behavior, including waiting until they're old enough to consume alcohol. But assuming those parents need the government's help keeping kids away from beer, it's not the expensive, hard-to-find, high-alcohol gourmet craft brews I'd be worried about. Of course, it's already illegal for kids to buy alcohol, and they're doing it anyway. I'm not sure how making it illegal for adults to buy the beer they like makes kids any safer.

Keep your eye on the bill

The fella I couldn't identify below (I allied him to the railroad and then retail industry below, probably incorrectly), wound up offering an amendment to HB196 that would prohibit low-cost, high-alcohol beer from being sold. He was worried about it getting into the hands of teenagers. I would counter that it's already illegal for teens to buy alcohol, and that no additional laws are needed to keep it from them.

Still, his amendment may have been accepted. Hard to tell right now. Keep your eyes on HB196 to see what it says in the end.

EDIT: I may have spoken too soon. Looks like the bill may not have gotten any changes. Here's a link to the roll-call vote so you can see how your rep cast his ballot. I'm disappointed to see that Jacksonville's Lea Fite voted "no."

It's passed!

HB196 passed!

EDIT: I think the vote was 48-42. Close, but enough to get by. Bring on the Senate.

Free the Hops' message board is acting screwy. Must be a lot of folks trying to celebrate online right now. And rightly so!

One hurdle down, another yet to clear today

The bill to increase the allowed ABV limit on beer sold in Alabama has passed the Budget Isolation Resolution vote, where a similar bill stumbled in the House of Representatives last year. That means it's now finally up for debate, looking for an up-or-down vote on the proposal itself.

It's now being discussed on the floor (I think), and you can hear it live via the House Web site.

I'm not sure who's talking now, but he's not making much sense. He said that we don't need more alcohol for the young people to drink. Dude, the legal drinking age in this state is 21. He also said that "you can buy anything you want tonight at the state store." Except craft beer, friend.

Now a representative of the Alabama Railroad Association (huh? or was it "Retail?") is asking who will set the standards for what beer will be allowed under this bill. Sir, isn't that exactly what the Legislature is now considering? He's also saying he wants protections against "cheap, high-alcohol beer" flooding the state. Bullcrap. How does the 13.9-percent beer allowed under this bill stack up against the 80-percent-plus alcohol in lquor the state government itself will sell me at my local ABC store?

Warning friends, this is difficult to listen to.

EDIT: I think I understand that the nonsensical gentleman I mentioned before is Alvin Holmes, D-Montgomery. He's now sparring with the bill's sponsor, Thomas Jackson, D-Thomasville. He's really off the rails now, somehow bringing the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 into his argument against the bill. Jackson didn't help a whole lot, (sorta) getting him onto that track by saying Free the Hops represented "Germans" who asked him to introduce the bill. For the record, FTH is a group of Alabamans who want access to the world's finest beers.

House votes on beer bill today

It's still a ways from becoming law, but if today's vote in the Alabama House of Representatives on HB196 passes, it'll be one big step farther than things got last year. The next hurdle is clearing the Senate, where an identical bill already has been approved in committee. Then it's up to Gov. Bob Riley to sign, and beer fans in Alabama can raise one big toast and enjoy more of the world's best beer.

Want to listen in on the debate? The Legislature has a live audio page for the House, here. All you need is a Web browser and Windows Media Player. According to the House rules, they'll get cranked up around 10 a.m.

EDIT: Looks like the House will actually convene at 1 p.m. today. Just a few more hours until the big moment. (Typing with my fingers crossed.)

Promised land in sight?

Stuart Carter at Free The Hops reports that House Bill 196, the Alabama Gourmet Beer Bill, will be up for a third reading and vote on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Tuesday, March 4.

The bill would raise the allowed alcohol content in beer to 13.9 percent from 6 percent. Alabama is one of three states to so restrict beer. FTH and its supporters say the low limit keeps hundreds of top-quality beers off the shelves here.

His organization is urging all its supporters to call contact their representatives to express support for the bill.

Hopping up

The Chicago Tribune in a recent story examined the trend toward heavier hops flavor in American craft beers. Since the craft-brewing market was born in the 1970s, the definition of what's hoppy has changed. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, the story notes, was once considered an extremely hops-flavored beer, with an international-bitterness-unit rating of 37. The Tribune had a panel try seven beers for its story, and the least-hoppy, Two Brothers' Heavy Handed IPA, one had an IBU rating of 62 - most were 90 or higher.

For what it's worth, the methods brewers use to get more hops flavor into their beers also wind up increasing the alcohol content too. Unfortunately for us in Alabama, that means the hoppiest beers are illegal here. Of the seven brews mentioned in the Tribune story, only one came in under our state's 6-percent alcohol-by volume cap - Heavy Handed, the least bitter of the bunch.

Free beer? OK, "liberate" it.

Got an unusual fax at the office recently. The Libertarian Party of Alabama wanted us to know that they're all for the efforts of Free the Hops, a group that wants to loosen Alabama's restrictive alcohol laws to allow more beer variety in the state. There's an online version of the press release here.

The Libertatians' support of the effort makes sense. The party's main aim is to reduce government's control over what Libertarians believe should be people's personal choices. Alabama law limits the production and sale of beer containing more than 6 percent alcohol by volume (we're one of three states to do so - as usual keeping company with Mississippi and West Virginia). The law also limits the size of beer containers to no more than 16 ounces. Those rules keep out many craft and imported beer commonly available elsewhere. A bill to increase the alcohol limit to 14.9 percent died in the Legislature last year.

I'm not sure how much the Libertarians' support will help future efforts at reform. A quick look at the rosters of both the Alabama House and Senate confirms my suspicion that there are no Libertarian members in either chamber. No statewide executive offices are held by Libertarians, either.

Still, as a fan of beer variety, I'm happy to see anyone calling for a change in the law.

Slim pickins, but gettin' better

Beer drinkers who like variety might not be satisfied in the Southeast, but distributors and craft brewers looking for growth will find plenty of opportunity here. That's my take on some of the numbers from sales-data presentation I listened to by phone yesterday.

The "Power Hour" presentation was presented by the Brewers Association, a trade group representing craft brewers. The data came from Information Resources Inc., which measured beer sold at U.S. supermarkets nationwide during the last half of 2006 and the first half of 2007. The most interesting part of the presentation, to me, was the regional breakdown. I got a good sense of the South's beer tastes and habits as compared to rest of the country.

For starters, there's not many different labels on our shelves, relatively speaking. There were just 263 craft beer brands for sale in all of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. That might sound like a lot, but it was the smallest selection of any region in the country, well behind the next-lowest place, California (treated as region unto itself), at 317 brands. Every other region boasted at least 340 brands, with customers in the Great Plains states choosing from among 507. Meanwhile, craft beer made up just 2.7 percent of all the beer sold in the Southeast. It was at least 4 percent of the market in every other region, and as high as 12.5 percent of the market in the West.

I'd imagine that lack of selection stems from the fact that the Southeast is home to two of the three states in the country which still restrict sales of beer to a low -alcohol content - Alabama & Mississippi. And of course, South Carolina raised its 6-percent alcohol-by-volume limit this year. Georgia's was lifted in 2005. And that's where the good news for fans of beer variety comes in.

The Southeast showed the biggest gain in sales of craft beer among all regions, with 33.8 percent growth over the previous year. I figure that's due at least in part to Georgia's decision to lift its alcohol limit, letting in a flood of specialty brews. If Alabama and Georgia ever follow suit, that sort of growth can only continue.

To be sure, there's much more to beer than craft brewing, and IRI's numbers show that. I'll be digging into them further over the next few weeks to bring you whatever interesting nuggets I can find. Meanwhile, feel free to dig through them yourself. They're in PDF format at The Brewers Association Web site.

Enjoy!