johnlittle.com

This audio is from the Alabama House Tourism and Travel committee hearing yesterday. I didn’t do such a good job with my audio recorder. The first one is ok because I had the recorder with me at the podium, but I was 2 rows back on the others, so the quality varies based on how loud and clear the person talking was (and how much I was shifting the paper in my hands). I don’t know the names of a couple of folks who spoke, but if you do, leave a comment and I’ll edit. I also missed the opening intro to the bill by Representative Robinson because I pushed the wrong button, but he spoke again at the end.

ws110071.mp3 – me
ws110072.mp3 – Joe Godfrey
ws110073.mp3 – Stuart Carter
ws110074.mp3 – Dan Ireland
ws110075.mp3 – Dan Roberts
ws110076.mp3 – ?
ws110077.mp3 – ?
ws110078.mp3 – Oliver Robinson

Brewers: Keep your eye on a new site being developed by the Brewers Association. I’m looking forward to some great videos!!!

From Cindy at the BA:

Discuss, post, tweet, and comment about craft brewing all in one place: BrewersAssociation.org.

The new website will bring you:
• Private discussion board for professional brewers like you
• Follow the latest industry tweets and post your own
• Share comments on stories, videos, events, & government
affairs

Stay tuned at BrewersAssociation.org.

rather than what is written here, what i actually said is:

Consumers may not be aware of the restriction initially because they notice they have a somewhat bigger variety of beer to choose from at certain locations. However, many retailers who wanted to sell new beer, and brewers and distributors who wanted to get new products into those stores, can’t. Nine out of ten grocery stores, and all convenience stores, don’t have and may never be able to obtain, the right type of license to sell the new beers. I can understand the perspective that at least some progress was made, but I figure, given that this is Alabama, it’ll be another 50 years before this arbitrary legal restriction is removed so that brewers, distributors and consumers can truly enjoy a craft beer free market.

not that it’s a big deal. it’s irrelevant. i just want to be clear.

Very Interesting. From the Brookston Beer Bulletin:

“Today is “Doctor’s Day,” which commemorates the “anniversary of the occasion when Dr. Crawford W. Long became the first acclaimed physician to use ether as an anesthetic agent in a surgical technique, Mar 30, 1842.” The holiday has been observed annually since 1933, though it’s unclear why in 1933 people decided a holiday for doctors should be started. But it’s the perfect day to mention a curious account of Doctors during Prohibition that was published in New Scientist last fall. It was called When Doctors Battled For Medicinal Beer and while beer and whisky are at the center of the story, it’s really about control and the physician’s autonomy that’s at the heart of the story. An interesting read.”

Here is the full New Scientist article:

Read more…

This is an excellent partial history of Alabama alcohol legislation by Harvey Jackson for the Anniston Star. The map of wet and dry jurisdictions in Alabama is from the Alabama ABC Board website.

Liquor laws and loopholes: A brief history of how Alabama regulates alcohol
By Harvey H. Jackson
Star columnist and editorial writer
10-26-2008

On Nov. 4, residents of Blount, Cleburne and Randolph counties will vote on a matter that some there likely consider more important than the presidential contest that’s also on the ballot. They will decide if liquor will be legal within their counties’ borders. (Cleburne’s case is a little more complicated; has to do with a muscadine winery. But complicated is what Alabama liquor law is all about — as we shall see.)

When and where to allow liquor and how to regulate it are issues that have long divided Alabamians. The motives of both “wets” and “drys” reflect the shifting coalitions and interests that have dominated state politics for decades. The many votes that have been taken on these questions also reveal how Alabama has changed over the years and point to more changes that are sure to take place in the future.

So it seems to me to be worthwhile to consider how we have gotten to this point — liquor-wise.

Which is what I am gonna do.

Read more…

Here’s a handful of Alabama still seizure pics I received from the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board…. A few from recent times and a couple from the 60s. In Alabama, we have a need to distinguish illegal distillation from typical homebrewing of beer, mead, cider and wine. I’m going to try to get more of these pictures from time to time and put something together that clearly demonstrates the difference and shows that typical homebrewers are not making moonshine.

I just read the September issue of the Alabama Lawyer and found this very short summary of the 2008 Alabama Legislative Session informative:

There were 1,606 bills introduced in the legislature. Four hundred ninety-five passed one of the houses but only 205 made their way into law. From the total of 205 bills, after subtracting those that were only local bills affecting only one county, “Sunset” bills which continued a state regulatory agency and bills affecting only one segment of the community, 29 bills remained and I have listed them below.

Browsing the list of those 29 bills in the full article shows that none of them were very controversial.

I’ve researched and collected alcohol related bills that have reached Governor Riley’s desk since he took office in late 2002. I’m using this post to list the bills he has vetoed. I’ll post them as comments as I sort them out (that is if the comments can hold that much text.. I haven’t tried posting large amounts of text to the comments yet).

The Birmingham Terminal is reporting that New Vulcan Ale House, which would have been a 4th brewpub in Alabama, will not be getting off the ground after all.

I can’t say I’m surprised. The cards are stacked against breweries in Alabama, particularly brewpubs, which have stringent and expensive legal requirements that really ought to be changed.

Coming in 2008!
We’re Bringing A New Vibe to Birmingham!

Locally owned and operated, our resturant is sure to show you what a good time is all about.
Bringing you a variety of things no other place can offer!
From our wonderfully homemade brewed Ales, to our fantastically fresh menu,
New Vulcan Ale House will surely be at the TOP of your list!
We welcome all parties Large and Small, as we can accomadate 400 people!

Came across this information here.

Alabama Breweries History: Montgomery Alabama

Brewpubs have been around a long time. In the late 1800s, there were over 4,000 breweries–every town had at least one. George Washington, John Adams, James Madison and Thomas Jefferson had financial interests in microbreweries: William Penn founded Philadelphia’s first brewpub in 1685. The first recorded history of beer brewing in Montgomery Alabama cited Charles E. Hall as the founder of the original Montgomery Brewing Company. Prohibition put poor Charles out of business in 1919. But in 1992, acknowledging the microbrewery renaissance, Alabama passed its Brewpub Act with the intent of revitalizing Alabama’s historic districts–thus allowing this Montgomery Brewing Co. to (re)open on October 27, 1995.