Things my brewing brain have been pondering lately...

My backyard hops are a'growin'!

OK, so I’ve decided to segregate my writing. Most of you probably realize by now that I’m the host of a local radio show in Springfield Missouri called Beer Buzz, brought to you by Springfield Brewing Company. Of course, you should go listen to all of the podcasts and tell me how much you like them.


In addition, I’ve been taking an active role in building Springfield, Missouri’s first fully organized not-for-profit Homebrew Club known as the Zymurgists of The Ozarks (aka the Homebrew Zoo). We’ve been around for years, but are actively seeking members to promote craft beer and our hobby to the masses. If you’re interested, you can find us at our web page (just join the forums and start talking) or on Facebook.

I’ve decided that StAngeBrewing.com will be dedicated only to discussions about the homebrewing part of my world, and I’ll leave all the other craft beer stuff on Tagsgf.com, where my beer column lives. I may occasionally talk about a craft beer on here, but the express focus of this blog will be homebrewing.

I have several topics in homebrewing I’ve recently gained an interest in. There will be some posts in the very near future about each of these, so I thought I would give you a primer on them so you know what you’ll see from me soon.

Home Brewing - Brew Local - supporting your local home brew shop.

You’ve undoubtedly noticed I talk a lot about the Homebrewery in Ozark. It’s our local home brew shop, or LHBS to those of you who like acronyms. I think it’s important to not underestimate the importance of having a home brew supplier close to home.
I spend a gratuitous and sometimes even obscene amount of time online researching home brewing, craft beer, and beer in general. I know. I lead a hard life. In my research, I’ve come across a few interesting things that make me particularly grateful for having a very good local shop.

Beer Buzz Radio - Growing Hops and Lots of Upcoming Events!

On the February 26th episode of Beer Buzz, I talked a lot about growing hops and why you should go ahead and pre-order your hops to grow now.

Also, a lot of events in What's on Tap, a couple of great beer reviews, and a bonus Beer Lover's Library!

Homebrew Competition Update - Letter from Bob Dixon's Office

Ok, so I wrote a few emails last week to my Reps in the State House and Senate. I received a reply from Bob Dixon's office today which is very promising.

Besides that, I had a conversation with Gary Glass, Director of the AHA. We agreed on a lot of things. First, that Missouri state law does not explicitly outlaw homebrew gatherings or competitions. Missouri law appears to mirror the Federal Law, which is a good thing, because the Federal law goes on the say that organized gatherings, competitions, and clubs are legal for homebrewers.

It could be said, then, that the intent of the Missouri law is to mimic the Federal Law, which does not prohibit those activities. Therefore, it would not be illegal.

Now, before you go throwing a homebrew kegger in your town square, remember that the ATC just told me the other day that they would consider a competition against the intent of the law. Whether they are misinterpreting that law or I am, that misinterpretation could cause a lot of trouble.

I gave Senator Dixon's office the contact info for Gary from the AHA. I sincerely hope they call him and speak with him about this.

If they do, we can hope something will be done about clearing up the interpretation of this law.

I'll keep you guys updated. If there is anything to be done, we'll coordinate an effort with all of the homebrew clubs of Missouri involved. The AHA is excellent at coordinating such efforts. I'd hold off on stirring the pot until we can find out more about what's going on.

I will keep you posted through this blog and on twitter on what's happening.

Thanks for your comments and emails of support.
Ben

Legal Update - Sent another letter

I sent another letter to my State Rep and State Senator today.

Essentially, I referred them to a recent bill in Oregon which passed unanimously in their house and senate and was signed into law in 2011.

Here's the body of that message:

Help Legalize Organized Home Brew Events

I recently had an exchange with the Missouri ATC asking if a hypothetical homebrew competition would be legal. While I am not planning one now, I thought it would be a good way to develop awareness of the hobby in the Springfield area and maybe get some more people involved. The conversation I had with Missouri ATC was cordial and polite, but yielded a very unsatisfactory answer.
The laws that govern homebrewing in the State of Missouri are in the Missouri Revised Statutes, Chapter 311: Liquor Control Law. The law states that “It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, partnership or corporation to manufacture, sell or expose for sale in this state intoxicating liquor, as defined in section 311.020, in any quantity, without taking out a license."
That law would make homebrewing illegal except for the exception made in Section 311.055, RSMo, which provides that ''No person at least twenty-one years of age shall be required to obtain a license to manufacture intoxicating liquor, as defined in section 311.020, for personal or family use. The aggregate amount of intoxicating liquor manufactured per household shall not exceed two hundred gallons per calendar year if there are two or more persons over the age of twenty-one years in such household, or one hundred gallons per calendar year if there is only one person over the age of twenty-one years in such household."
So, if you live alone and are a brewer, you can make up to 100 gallons for your own “personal or family use.” If you have another adult living with you, that doubles to 200 gallons. That’s the family limit.
The trouble appears to be in how the ATC interprets this rule. The rule states “personal or family use.” However, Lafayette E. Lacy, who is the State Supervisor of the Missouri Division of Alcohol and Tobacco Control wrote to me, explaining that a homebrewing competition would go beyond the personal of family use exception. According to Steve Shimmens, who is the Chief of Enforcement for the ATC, the rule is interpreted as limiting this use to “personal consumption.”
So, there you have it. Homebrewing competitions are illegal in Missouri.
So, how can we get it changed?

Beer Buzz Radio - New Beer's Resolutions and Beer Mixology

Well, it’s a new year, and we sure hit the ground running with the January 8th episode of Beer Buzz. To start, we have a heck of a rundown on beer related events coming up, mostly from our friends down at Mother’s Brewing Company. We also launch into some tips on making the best damn New Beer’s Resolutions and how to make them stick. Then, I make a resolution to you guys.

After we got through that barrage of beery information, we opened the floor for some discussion about the oft-disputed land of beer cocktails. Are they a good idea? Are they sacrilege? Only you can answer that for you, but we give you some good ideas on how to make them. Oh, and we mention BeerMixology.com.

Add to that a great Haiku Beer Review and more beer information than you thought we could pack into an hour, and that makes this the best show so far this year. That and it’s the only show so far this year.

Listen to it here.