We have 2 members place in this years National Homebrewers Competition for the South region.  You can view the results here.

Jonathan Hay placed 1st in Category 16 Belgian and French Ale

Nick Hudson placed 3rd in Category 22 Smoked-Flavored and Wood-Aged Beer

Congrats to both, good luck in the final round!

Great news Junkies!  In case you have not heard the Homebrew Legalization bill SB153 passed the State Senate yesterday with a very narrow voting margin.  At first it seemed that the billed failed due to some "politicin'" but an amendment was added to the bill only allowing 20 gallons to be transported at a time.

"Twenty gallons of Beer, mead, cider, or wine produced under this
section may be removed from the premises where it was produced
and may be transported for personal and noncommercial uses,
including use at organized events, such as homebrewing
competitions, tastings, judgings, and craft exhibitions.
Organized events involving beer, mead, cider, or wine produced
for personal use may be held on the premises of entities
licensed under Title 28, Code of Alabama 1975, without
violating the terms or conditions of licensure."

So now we just have to push to have the House vote it through.  Please call your House Representative today and voice your support for SB153.  If you don't know who is your House Rep you can search for them by zip code here.  If we keep at it, people will notice and it will pass.  We still have a nice road to travel before it is passed, but this was the major one in the road.  Next the bill has to pass the House BIR, House Floor Vote and if it passes both of those the Governor has to sign it.  Keep calling/faxing/emailing/annoying the crap out of your Representatives and it will get passed.

You can read more on the AHA Website about how the bill faired.

We can get Homebrewing legalized in Alabama, but it won't happen without your action Monday and Tuesday!

The Senate has 2 working days this week, and so far is not bogged down with gambling bills. Tuesday's session seems like our best shot before Electronic Bingo clogs up the works. It's imperative that you  call, fax and/or e-mail  the members of the Senate Rules Commitee and request that Senate Bill 153 (SB153) be placed on the Special Order Calendar as soon as possible. Please reply to this e-mail when you have done so.

It's very easy: A secretary will answer the phone. Tell her your name and where you're from and tell her that you're calling to urge Senator _______ , as a member of the Rules Committee, to make sure SB 153 is placed on the Special Order Calendar. She will thank you for your call and that's it. You should be able to call all the members in about 15 minutes.

C'mon Junkies and good beer fans! Let's make 'em take notice in Montgomery!

Here's a link to all the members' phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Phone calls make the most difference!


http://www.auburnbrewclub.org/off-menu/2010-senate-rules-committee-members/

Also- While you're making those calls Monday and Tuesday, (You will be making those calls, Right?) be sure and call your own Senator's office and ask him or her to support SB153. If you do not know who your Senator is, enter your zip code here:

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/zipsearch.html

We will likely not have any advance warning about when SB153 will reach the floor, so we need to prepare each of our Senators to vote in favor of legalizing Homebrewing!

Pick up the phone!
This won't get done if we all just sit on the sidelines and hope others will get it done. It takes action on your part today. Let's get this done! Pick up the phone!

The Alabama Senate Tourism & Marketing Committee has finally scheduled their first meeting of the session for Tuesday morning before the Senate meets that afternoon for Day 9.  But the bill legalizing homebrewing, SB153 is not on the agenda, and worse yet, two pro-Gambling bills are.

It is time for an Action Alert to contact Sen. Bobby Singleton (T&M Chairman).  His office phone number is (334) 242-7935, office FAX number is (334) 242-7191, and email address is bsingle164@yahoo.com. Contacting other members of the T&M Committee would be helpful, too, especially the powerful Barron, Smitherman, and Z. Little. Contacting Singleton is most critical, so everyone should at least do that, but here is the contact information we have for all of the T&M Committee members:

Bobby Singleton (334) 242-7935, FAX (334) 242 -7191, bsingle164@yahoo.com
Lowell Barron (334) 242-7858, FAX unlisted, email unlisted
Charles Bishop (334) 242-7894, FAX unlisted, email unlisted
Del Marsh (334) 242-7877, FAX unlisted, email unlisted
Myron C. Penn (334) 242-7868, FAX unlisted, myronpenn28@hotmail.com
Quinton T. Ross Jr.  334) 242-7880, FAX unlisted, Quinton.ross@alsenate.gov
Rodger Smitherman  (334) 242-7870, FAX unlisted, rodger.smitherman@alsenate.gov
Zeb Little (334) 242-7855, FAX unlisted,  zeb@zeblittlelawfirm.com
J.T. Waggoner  (334) 242-7892, FAX (334) 353-8255, jabo.waggoner@alsenate.gov

The approach I would recommend is to FAX and email today through Sunday (for those Senators who have Fax and email listed), and then voice call his office Monday and Tuesday morning before the 10:00 committee meeting.  Your message should at least relate these points, phrased in your own words:

- Please move SB153 for legalizing homebrewing to the Tourism and Marketing Committee's agenda.
- Note that this is the same bill that passed the committee unanimously last session, so it will take very little time and effort for the Committee to pass it favorably again.
- We are a group of Alabama citizens that has nothing to gain from SB153 except the legalization of our hobby, so please help us in this election year.

Faxing is an excellent way to communicate during off hours like over the weekend, because the paper in the in-box demands attention.  Email is probably the worst way (but better than nothing), because your message can easily be lost in the bulk, and may not be read until it is too late.  */During business hours, voice calls to the senators' receptionists are the most productive means of communication, and if you have never done it before you would not believe how quick and easy it is.

It is up to ALL OF US to help this bill move through the process. Please commit to making these communications, and direct your fellow homebrewers and supporters who are not on this email list to do the same thing.  Without paid lobbyists, showing strong popular support is the only mechanism that will put our bill on the Senate's radar. 

Let's get it done!

Just wanted to take a second to remind everyone to contact their State Senator and House Rep in support of the much needed Homebrew Legalization Bill.  If you wish to read the copy of the bill, our friends over at the Auburn Brew Club is hosting a copy.  You can view it here.  You can also read more information in a blog post by John Little here.