The hops are free! So what's next?

May 28, 5:00 PMBirmingham Political Issues ExaminerThomas Pearson

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Not all of my posts will be about the continuing efforts to repeal Prohibition completely in Alabama. But, as most of you know by now, Governor Riley signed the Gourmet Beer Bill into law on Friday allowing Alabama bars and other businesses to serve beer with up to 13.9 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). While I’d like to think that my post last Thursday made the difference in the final push to convince the governor to sign the bill, the truth is that the bill’s journey to law was due to the efforts of thousands of Alabamians, especially the leadership, members and other supporters of Free the Hops (FTH).

Founded in 2004, Free the Hops has grown from a handful of craft brew aficionados to over 1200 members dedicated to repealing Alabama’s prohibitionist beer laws. Free the Hops’ success proves that a committed group of passionate activists can change this state for the better.

Stronger beer available in Birmingham

Several stores around town are already stocking higher-gravity beer according to FTH’s Twitter page. (Follow me on Twitter @pintpundit:) The J. Clyde expects to have several new bottled beers in by tonight and high-gravity draughts there by tomorrow. A few other establishments and stores, like Dee’s on Green Springs, will be adding high-gravity brews to their regular stock in short order as well.

Alabamians now have more freedom to purchase and consume a wider variety of beer, but don’t expect everything to be available at once or everywhere. Even though several high-gravity brews are available in Birmingham this week, it may take a week or two longer in other areas. Some of your favorite beers may be months or even years away from grocer’s shelves as it may take some breweries that long to extend their distribution to Alabama.

Remaining obstacles to freer hops

There is also a legal issue that might affect the availability of high-gravity beer in some outlets. Due to the Brooks amendment to the Gourmet Beer Bill,  some convenience stores and other stores who cannot or choose not to obtain an on/off-premise license, meaning that alcohol can be consumed on site or taken away for consumption elsewhere, will not be allowed to sell the higher ABV beer. Senator Brooks’ amendment requires any place selling stronger beer to have an on/off-premise license instead of merely an off-premise license that most convenience stores and some grocery stores have. The on/off-premise license is no more expensive than the off-premise license, but there are some additional regulatory hurdles that businesses seeking the on/off license must overcome. If you’re wondering what the alcohol content of beer being sold has to do with what kind of license you have, your guess is as good as mine.

If that weren’t enough to rub you the wrong way, the hops aren’t quite free just yet. Let me explain. True, we can now enjoy stronger brews, but there remain many restrictions on the brewing and consumption of beer in the state. One of these remaining restrictions limits the container size of beer sold here to sixteen ounces or less, which leaves out many craft brews that are only produced in large bottles such as much of the Rogue line and many European imports. Additional restrictions make homebrewing practically illegal here and impose extremely unreasonable restrictions on anyone wishing to open a brewpub in the state. Because many gourmet beers are only produced in bottles larger than sixteen ounces, the container size restriction is likely the next step for Free the Hops’ ongoing mission to remove the obstacles separating Alabamians from gourmet beer.

Third annual Magic City Brewfest

Don’t let any of the above put a damper on your weekend though. There are many places around Birmingham stocking and serving stronger beer. Go out and find your new favorite beer today. If the currently available variety just isn’t enough for you, come on out to the third annual Magic City Brewfest on June 5th and 6th, which will feature over 200 varieties of beer, including some making their debut in Alabama and several which are above six percent ABV. I’ll be volunteering again this year and hope to see y’all there!