We tend to forget how much we all know about beer. Seriously, in North Carolina, I had legislators insisting that Budweiser would make a 40% alcohol once the cap was removed (yeah, like they’ve done in the 45 other states without a low ABV cap).

As past president of Pop The Cap, I received a fair number of inquiries from frustrated people who wished the cap were totally removed. I wished that, too, but I’m a realist. I wrote a response to these folks, “What’s with the 15% cap?”. Here it is:
http://popthecap.org/?page_id=219

Keep up the great work, guys. Y’all are prolific!

Me, I think we need to get back to the intent of the wise people who framed our Federal and State systems of government. Less is more. Remove barriers to commerce and encourage free market capitalism. If the only way your product can compete in the marketplace is via regulatory restriction in your favor, what does that say about your product? Take the regulatory handcuffs off people who want to engage in a legal business. Ecourage development of the marketplace, don’t restrict it. Frankly, I think that even Augustus Busch would roll in his grave if he could see how things he helped start have ‘morphed’. I think he would wade into the legislature swinging a mash paddle if he knew how they tax and regulate the life out of his industry.

As to the extreme ignorance displayed by some of the Alabama Rep’s (you’ll see the same attitudes and ignorance reflected in every State House in the country) I can only say that maybe the Founding Fathers were right in that only qualified and educated thinking people should vote, or be allowed to hold office for that matter. Yeah, I know, that would limit freedom as well so no I don’t really believe that to be applicable today. But I do think we all have an obligation to be informed. Thanks Paul, John, David and others for bring the issue to our attention.

In the state of alabama you cannot become a beer entrepreneur and make your own brewery unless the county you are in had at any point in it’s past history a brewery of some sort. I think that there are very few counties that even had breweries in the past. Lee county, the birmingham area, montgomery are some I know of. The brewery in Lee county went under mostly because of ABV limits that limited what they could make and sell in house.

It’s a travesty that this has been going through the house and senate now for 4-5 years and some of the people who can make the vote aren’t even trying to educate themselves about some of the false statements they have made about beer in that video and in past debate. My favorites being the we already have enough beer choices why do we need more, or however it was worded. The unfortunate side effect of popularity votes instead of education or intelligence based voting.

http://beeramerica.tv/the-alcohol-by-volume-argument-alabama-style/

Greetings! I just discovered your very interesting website TODAY, and I really do think that it’s a GREAT way to inform & educate those of us who have come to appreciate the fine art of American craft brewing. I’ll definitely be visiting your website many times in the months ahead, and I very much hope that you’ll continue to produce your very interesting web broadcasts for all of us who will be “tuning in” from our computers. )

On an important side note, I’m a lifelong citizen of the state of Alabama, and, as you probably know, we’re still one of only TWO states who still have the pitiful & misguided 6% ABV limit on beer. I could give you lots of reasons why this useless law is still in place, but most of the valid ones revolve around ignorance, misplaced moralism & the fear it produces, and the usual plagues of power politics & special interests who DON’T want any competition.

Anywho, for the past couple of years, there has grown up an excellent grassroots effort to change our current restrictions : The “Free the Hops” movement. It’s really become a very popular issue, and we very much hope that Alabama will soon join the 48 other U.S. states who allow their citizens lots more freedom to purchase their favorite craft beer.

And even TODAY, the Alabama Senate just *might* finally set our hops FREE. The Alabama House has already passed the FTH bill (for the 2nd year in a row), and the House bill can now be brought up in the Senate at ANY time by the discretion of the chair.

This bill now has strong support, and the ONLY obstacle that might kill it is ONE particular state senator who honestly believes that ALL alcohol is EVIL. Just the other day, he pontificated that if it was possible, he would outlaw the consumption of ALL alcoholic beverages if he could do so.

It is, of course, just RIDICULOUS for our state to run lotsa liquor stores wherein anybody can purchase almost 200 proof pure grain alcohol, yet at the very same time, block the entry of higher ABV beer because some claim that it will somehow cause the final collapse of Western Civilization.

So, we shall see. We only have 3 days left in the current legislative session, and we FTH supporters are very much hoping that we’ll FINALLY get this thing done so that we no longer have to engage in long-distance “beer runs” in order to spend our money in other states that have the many excellent craft brews that we enjoy.

Thanks for taking my email message, and THANKS for developing this really interesting website. I very much look forward to learning many more interesting things as the American Craft Brewing movement continues to produce lots of new & interesting brews for the rest of us to enjoy.

All the Best & FREE THE HOPS!

Tom Cale
Madison, Alabama

When it comes to ABV I agree with you guys at BeerAmerica in that you shouldn’t put a limit on creativity. I like David’s point of saying that grocery stores could put a limit on the ABV of the beer that they carry.

I will say this though albeit we have the ABV restriction at least we aren’t like Florida, in that we can actually have the 22 ounce bottles. That sucks because some breweries put specialty beers in those big bottles.

Hopefully one day we will win this battle but until then I will just bring back the amazingly good beers that we can’t get here in Georgia when I go to Florida every year.

Oh yea, Paul I am loving the shirt that you have been wearing in the past few videos!!! GO SOX!