The Gourmet Beer Bill (BH196) is up for vote in the Alabama Senate this week. The bill, introduced by the Free the Hops organization, aims to increase the current restrictions on beer that ban beers containing more than 6% alcohol by volume or containers larger than 16 oz.
According to FTH, beverages defined as wine can contain up to 24% ABV and have no container size restrictions. Likewise, liquor can contain up to 100% ABV and can be sold in any size container under Alabama law. So what’s the point of banning beer with 6.5% ABV?
FTH and the Gourmet Beer Bill has received recent coverage in the LA Times and even in The Scotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland). Stuart Carter, current president of FTH, hails from Scotland.
The most entertaining coverage of this issue has to be this edited recording of the recent House debate (don’t miss Alvin Holmes statements, 5:30-6:15).
Surely there are enough beers here already?
Let us put that to you another way. Would you want to be told that you can’t buy a Mercedes because there are already plenty of Fords and Hondas available? This is exactly the type of restriction that is being placed on gourmet beer in Alabama.
FTH is not trying to change the existing beers in Alabama. To refer back to the analogy, there will be plenty of Fords and Hondas around once we lift the restriction against Mercedes. FTH and its supporters would just like to have the option to choose the Mercedes of beer.
