In my attempts to further my beer education I have continued listening to stitcher radio to and from NoVa on almost a daily basis. I have started reading the episode summary because I have listened to a lot of bad pod casts. I have been subjected to an hour of moronic twenty somethings struggling to describe what they are drinking, while fighting each other with the frequent Star Wars or video game reference. Finally I landed on Basic Brewing Radio, which was a informative and eye opening program. The episode starts and the host, with the classic NPR voice, gives very little background and goes right into the recorded House of Representatives debate. Brace yourself . . .
I will sound nearly as ignorant by not going back for transcripts of the program, or giving proper names for those that spoke. The fine representatives of the state of Alabama are as classic as the characters portrayed in Forrest Gump and the accents were dead on. The children they explained, who will keep this evil from the children. I should of prefaced that by saying that everyone that approached the mic first started by stating their religious affiliation and friendship with the speaker. It was quite clear that the representatives didn't understand that home brewers are not, to my knowledge, the same as backwoods moonshiners. I have never been exposed to the seedy underbelly of the home brew bottle share. In my mind, home brewers are beer enthusiast who simply want to make beer for themselves, and enjoy the tribulations of doing so. In recent months this hobby has been able to grow into spawning breweries.
So in the state of Alabama you can buy beer and pay the state tax on it to fund this governing body. Lets not forget the lobbyist who are the second biggest contributors for most campaigning? Who is number one? The teachers unions who are protecting the old angry bags who are really ruining your child's potential. The issue kept getting confused as to who was going to regulate the quality of what was produced? It doesn't matter it is not to be sold, different law governing that all together. There was a bit of comedy relief when several local winos got a microphone and insisted on knowing who would be making this wine and where they could procure some.
The biggest push for this law comes out of Madison county Alabama, where apparently there is some NASA offices nearby. It appears that these well paid scientist like to dabble in good beer on the weekend. This is clearly the gateway to Satan worship, and criminal enterprise. If you want a good drinking game, listen to the end of the podcast and take a drink every time the female representative says "at the end of the day". I grew to hate that phrase in about 2 minutes after listening to this podcast. The other would be to drink every time the word alcohol is mentioned. Why can't they just say brewing beer, that is what the bill is called, the home brewing bill.
Alabama, don't be excited that you are the last state to legalize home brewing, be embarrassed. You need to have your eyes opened to the good folks that have started breweries out of this hobby. These are all things that this economy needs. We are not a country of well built affordable cars anymore. This maybe out new economical stronghold on today's global economy. Well check it out on your own, the debate runs about 40 minutes, and it is sad and funny for similar reasons.
http://www.basicbrewing.com/index.php?page=radio
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