Staff please give me a little leeway here. We all want better beer I think.
Anyway free the hops needs your help. SB294 is on the governor's desk. It will allow us to buy beer in bottles up to 25.4 ounces in size. This ups it from the current size of 16. We are the only state in the country with this limit amd many breweries wont sell here as a result of this. Please call the governor and ask him to sign sb294. 334-242-7100. He has stated that they aren't sure if they will or will not sign it. This means we need "people power" to quote Steve Irwin.
5/11 2:21 PM | IP: Logged |
What this really affects are microbreweries. They need that size to make money. Reason a Gov would be against? Heavy lobbying by mainstream, large commercial brewing interests like Miller, Bud, etc.
That said, while I haven't lived in Bama in sometime and may have changed, isn't it still virtually impossible to have a microbrewery? I know you can't do it in B'ham which is just BS.
5/11 3:45 PM | IP: Logged |
I'll ask the Gov about it.
5/11 5:11 PM | IP: Logged |
They've passed some laws to help the breweries survive. We now have 2 in birmingham with a 3rd on the way. I know mobile has one as well. We need this one to help our breweries and open up our markets to the best brewers in the country.
5/11 5:14 PM | IP: Logged |
This needs to be passed!! Bump
Posted from Rivals Mobile
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5/11 7:55 PM | IP: Logged |
Better for business
5/12 4:27 PM | IP: Logged |
Passing this law does not necessarily mean that "better" beer will be brought into this state. It is true that most Craft brewers make "special" or "seasonal" beers in the 750ml containers, but it does not mean better or bigger craft brewers will line up to come into Alabama. For example, Dogfish Head....they are at capacity and are pulling out of some smaller volume states in order to keep large markets flush with beer. Coming into Alabama is more about potential volume gains and capacity issues than a specific package law. The high gravity law passed a few years ago was and will be responisble for allowing All Craft Breweries to sell beer in Alabama. It is now completely up to the specific breweries to decide if expansion into Alabama is viable under their current capacity levels.
The big boys, MillerCoors, ABI, Corona, and Heineken USA are all wanting the law to pass to allow the larger serving vessels to be sold. At 24oz it still falls into the current state tax for a case of beer. The big volume vessels are not enough to scare the big boys as they will sell the majority of them with close to 250 thousand cases or more annually. Even the largest Craft brewer will not sell 2000 of these annually in the state.
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Every time I drink a Bell's Two Hearted Ale or Dogfish Head I give a toast to the great folks who started Free the Hops'. What a great group of people!
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Free the Hops was not the reason the higher abv laws were passed. It takes a lot of time and money, mostly payed by Budweiser and Miller/Coors distributors throughout the state. Free the Hops is a non-profit organization that raised money in efforts to pay lobbyists to help in passing the law. The efforts by local distributors and political connections they have is the main reason why it passed. Higher alcohol beers means higher profits and more gross profit for each company distributing the beer. There are certain counties in the state that allow a higher volume package which sell 24oz cans but I believe that is there limit.
I've never fully understood the reason why Mississippi has 40's but there abv is still 6%. This will change to 8% by weight on July 2nd. That leaves Tennessee as the only other state in the Southeast that has a cap at 6%. Another state with awful alcohol laws is Kansas. Kansas has a cap at 3.2%, so basically everything tastes watered down.
5/13 10:50 PM | IP: Logged |
Originally posted by dcoursey:
What this really affects are microbreweries. They need that size to make money. Reason a Gov would be against? Heavy lobbying by mainstream, large commercial brewing interests like Miller, Bud, etc.That said, while I haven't lived in Bama in sometime and may have changed, isn't it still virtually impossible to have a microbrewery? I know you can't do it in B'ham which is just BS.
Actually, there are at least three microbreweries in AL, The Montgomery Brewery, Old Town Beer in Huntsville and the Old Auburn Ale House.
This post was edited on 5/14 12:33 PM by TerryK
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Scratch that. There are microbreweries all over AL.
Here are some more:
Dave's Pub, The Fox and Hound and Innisfree in B'ham; Hurricane Brewing, Ashland Pub, Bay House Pub and Brentz' Pizza Pub in Mobile/Daphne; and Corner Grill and Pub and Finnegan's Pub in Hunstville.
5/14 12:39 PM | IP: Logged |
Please tell me where you got a Dogfish Head here in Alabama. I did not think they distributed here.
5/14 2:37 PM | IP: Logged |
There's also Good People brewing here in B'ham.
5/14 2:46 PM | IP: Logged |
Dogfish is not in he state and won be for awhile .......they are one of the major Craft breweries that are undergoing expansion and cannot currently meet the demand needs of their wholesalers.
5/14 3:14 PM | IP: Logged |
Micro breweries are popping up everywhere around here in Alabama!
5/14 3:40 PM | IP: Logged |
Unless Bentley actually vetoes the bill, it will pass. This will increase the volume size to 25 oz. This is to allow bombers of craft beers, not 40s of malt liquors and domestics. Most likely, he will not sign it and just allow it to go on through.
Also the above listed is not a list of microbreweries.
Good People, and Avondale with Cahaba and Beer Engineers coming soon are the Birmingham ones.
Straight to Ale, Yellowhammer, Blue Pants and Old Black Bear are the ones in Huntsville.
Back Forty is out of Gadsden, and there is one that is ab to open in Phenix City called Chatahootchie. (sp?)
Definitely an exciting time in Alabama with the craft beer movement.
Posted from Rivals Mobile
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Microbreweries are great for business and communities. I've been amazed by what Good People and Avondale Brewery have done for the areas they are in. Downtown birmingham is experiencing a major revitalization for many reasons, but good local breweries are a big part of that. Hard to believe it has taken this long to happen. And Free the Hops has indeed been the train pushing the legislation along, good for them.
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listen to representative Alvin Holmes in the House of Reps...awesome!!!
Link: Listen to Mr. Holmes...
5/15 8:05 AM | IP: Logged |
As long as I've got my 5 gal buckets. Alabrew baby!
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Chicago is absolutely overrun with beer mania. Even folks coming down from Milwaukee have to admit that Chicago's scene is insanely good. If you're a Bible thumper and don't drink, don't agree with drinking, and are scared about what drinking leads to, then you must also be a complete moron if you're not in favor of bringing in more micro brews to AL. The people who drink bc they like the taste are far less dangerous than those who drink only to get drunk. And once you help the latter develop a taste for the products of the former, they become the former. Basically, when you have a craft beer industry, you improve your restaurant industry and, within the bar industry, you trade a decent portion of your 20s demographic for 30s and 40s folks who are smarter, pay more, don't start fights, can carry a conversation, tip, and, importantly, know their limits, which means more money for cabs and less drunk driving overall
5/16 12:57 AM | IP: Logged |
Bill signed by governor!!!
5/16 10:05 PM | IP: Logged |
Yahoo! Sports
