Umm, beer

I heard about this organization a good while ago, but the Huntsville Times ran an article a couple of weeks ago that brought them to my attention again. So now I'm an official member of Free the Hops. What is Free the Hops, you might ask? Philosophically, it is a group dedicated to increasing awareness of and appreciation for quality beer, especially within Alabama. They want people to know there are other beers besides Bud, Miller, etc. Yes, most people know other brands, such as Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada, but there's a whole world of beers and beer styles out there. Free the Hops wants to make people aware of the panoply of possibilities (my own phrase) in the beer world.

That may be the philosophical motivation, but on a more practical level, Free the Hops is an advocacy group dedicated to removing two Alabama laws that keep a lot of the best beers out of our fair state:

The ABV Limit
The 6% ABV limit excludes approximately 1/3 of the world's beer styles, some of them the finest, highest quality beverages on earth. Entire styles of specialty beers fall above this limitation, such as barleywine, a strong ale with a typical ABV between 8-13%. Barleywines are elegant and expensive, sometimes cellared and aged for years like a fine Cabernet. Another elite group of beers, those brewed by Trappist Monks in Belgium (considered by many to be the greatest beer in the world) is comprised almost entirely of beers above 6% ABV. These "Dubbels" and "Trippels" are currently illegal in Alabama.

The Container Limit
Though it is impossible to quantify exactly how many other beers are excluded by the 1 pint limit, it is safe to say that many more fine beers are unavailable to Alabamians due to this additional restriction. For example, Rogue Ales -- one of the most notable craft breweries in the United States -- sells most of their beer in 22 ounce bottles. Only 5 of their 25 core beers fall within Alabama's ABV and container size restrictions. Furthermore, many beers from Europe (such as those of Young's Brewery in England) are only exported in 500 mL or 750 mL bottles -- too big for Alabama.

Of the Top 100 beers at BeerAdvocate.com, 98 aren't found anywhere in this state. Become a member of Free The Hops today to help bring the world's greatest beers to Alabama.

So anyway, the article linked to above is about FTH's fight to repeal these two measures (wisely, I think, FTH is concentrating on the ABV law right now) and the Alabama Citizens Action Program's attempt to make sure the laws stay in place. Though I don't want to get into every aspect of the argument here, ACAP's two chief arguments FOR the laws are just too easy to pass up:

"It's ridiculous to even think about putting a beverage on the market with that high level of alcohol that teenagers want to buy," he [Dan Ireland, ACAP president] said. As for the argument that the law already allows wine twice as strong, Ireland answered: "Beer is the beverage of choice, not wine. Kids are not going out and buying wine."

Yes, if one is willing to use the term beer liberally, it probably is true that beer is the beverage of choice for teens looking to get drunk. It does not follow, though, that the problem will worsen if the 6% cap is lifted. First, the beers being discussed are not cheap. I doubt teens will splurge for the $10-$12 6-pack of something like Arrogant Bastard when they can get a CASE of Milwaukee's Best for the same price. Second, these beers are not "guzzling beers". They are hearty and usually much heavier. They are sipping beers. No one funnels St. Bernardus Abt. 12! [BTW, thanks to Dave for bringing a couple of St. Bernardus products back from TX. I am, though, still waiting for the Abt. 12. Any chance of that this year?].

ACAP's next argument seems a little better, but it has holes too:

"We know this talk is about this gourmet, high-price beer," said Dan Ireland, ... "But you're opening Pandora's box for all beer people to raise alcohol levels."

Ah, a good old slippery slope argument. Now Mr. Ireland admits (or brags about, depending on your perspective) he has never had a drop of alcohol. This comment shows that he doesn't know much about beer making or selling either. There's not an ABV knob on the beer vat that you just switch to 6%. Making higher alcohol beer (as a general rule) is harder and more expensive -- not what beer companies are looking to do. Second, WHY would "all beer people" raise their alcohol levels? Watered down beer is cheap AND people drink large quantities of it! If you raise the ABV level of Budweiser, Joe 6-Pack will become Joe 4-Pack -- again, not what beer companies are looking to do.

Anyway, that's just my take on the ACAP arguments -- rubbish! Though I'm not much of a joiner, I did send my $25 to FTH. Besides, I wanted one of their t-shirts and a membership (including a complimentary t-shirt) was just a few dollars more. [Hey, I am an economist -- marginal evaluation is important to me.] So, go take a gander at the website and join up if you're interested. That's my PSA for the day.