Mississippi finally not last in something – home brewing
Posted: Wednesday, April 3, 2013 9:15 am
|
JACKSON, Miss. — Beer enthusiasts in Mississippi will soon be able to legally brew their own beer, thanks to a bill Gov. Phil Bryant has signed into law.
Senate Bill 2183, which takes effect July 1, will allow people over 21 to make their own beer, as long as they don’t sell it and they live in an area where possession of beer is legal.
While the attorney general said that in the past home brewing was legal with a permit from the Department of Revenue, only expensive permits for commercial breweries were available. Now home brewers will be able to make beer freely.
The new law allows brewers to make quite a lot of beer each year — 100 gallons for households with one person who is over 21-years-old and 200 gallons if there are two or more people over 21-years-old.
The Mississippi group Raise Your Pints has spent the past few years working on legislation to remove restrictions on beer.
Mississippi will become the 49th state to allow home brewing, according to the American Homebrewers Association.
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Beer lovers to hold home-brewing demo – Daily Mail
Some Charleston beer enthusiasts are hoping to spread their love of the sudsy beverage during a public demonstration of the art of brewing.
Members of the group dubbed K.R.A.Z.E., which stands for Kanawha Regional Association of Zymurgy Enthusiasts, have scheduled a free home brewing demonstration outside Moxxee Coffee on Charleston’s East End April 6. Zymurgy is the applied science related to fermentation.
The demonstration will begin about 11 a.m. in the patio section outside the East End coffee shop, said Rob Absten, 43, of Cross Lanes.
Absten is a home brewer and one of the founding members of the organization.
“A lot of people don’t know what home brewing really is,” he said. “They don’t know how difficult or easy it can be.”
The group’s members will show participants how to brew a stout beer and a hefeweizen.
The stout will be brewed using an all-grain technique, which is a bit more complicated, Absten said. The hefeweizen will be brewed using extracts, which is a simpler way to make beer, he said.
Absten has been brewing his own beer for about five years. He prefers to use the all-grain method for brewing beer.
All-grain brewing gives the brewer more control over the elements in the finished project, he said.
“You can make a good beer with an extract, but in my opinion, you can make an even better beer using all grain,” Absten said.
Using an extract means that the finished beer cannot be changed as much by the brewer, he said.
It typically takes about six weeks before the finished product can be consumed. Because of that, members of the group will have some home brews made beforehand available for sampling at the demonstration, Absten said.
He said the group will check IDs to ensure that everyone sampling the beer is of legal drinking age.
Absten believes the demonstration will help get more people in the area into home brewing. Home brewing can help people come to appreciate many different styles of beer that aren’t available in the area.
Absten is a local attorney who used to live in Pittsburgh, which is known for having many quality beers available.
He found it difficult to find a palatable drink when he moved back to the Mountain State.
That was when he got into home brewing.
Absten believes that it will be easier to get locals into home brewing if they can see the process take place right before their eyes.
“We want to show people how easy it really is to home brew,” he said.
The demonstration will take about three hours, Absten said.
Absten added that many home brewing associations around the country will be holding events on National Home Brewing Day May 4.
Contact writer Paul Fallon at paul.fal…@dailymail.com or 304-348-4817. Follow him at www.twitter.com/PaulBFallon.
Proposal for Looser Home Brewing Rules
Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 January 2013 15:48
Written by Matt Shedd
Wednesday, 30 January 2013 08:43
ATLANTA - Beer
enthusiasts would be able to brew more beer and also compete with
other home brewers under new legislation. A
House Bill proposed by Representative Jason Spencer would raise the
amount a home brewer could make from 50 to 100 gallons —
that’s 200 gallons for a couple.
With a $50 permit from the
Department of Revenue, home brewers will be allowed to move the beer.
Brewers would be newly allowed to transport
up to 25 gallons of their home brew for participation in out-of-town
competitions. Spencer says he supports the personal freedom the law
would promote and also believes brew fests could become a tourism
draw to places like Savannah, Atlanta and his own area of Woodbine.
Exciting day for beer enthusiasts at South Bend’s 2013 Brewfest
The downtown South Bend Century Center partnered up with Centerplate Catering on Saturday, Jan. 12, to host the second annual South Bend Brewfest. The venue was buzzing with excitement as the line of people waiting to get inside could hear the loud hum of chatting between brewers and tasters. The event offered 100 different varieties of craft beer from 30 different breweries, including many local favorites.
At the South Bend Brew Works (SBBW) booth, two young men passionately conversed with attendees and fellow brewers. SBBW, located at 216 S. Michigan Street, is a home brew supply store that offers equipment and expertise on making beer, wine and soda, according to their official website. They plan on opening their own brewpub this spring, according to Richard Hall, an SBBW home brewing specialist and IU South Bend chemistry student.
Alec Sanderson, manager at SBBW, talked about their brewpub adding to the Downtown South Bend experience where they will offer six to ten handcraft beers and other favorites.
Sanderson added that they will also have a great menu to pair with the brews, with plans to connect with the Farmer’s Market and Purple Porch Co-op to incorporate locally-grown and seasonal produce.
Hall also talked about the exciting development of the brewpub which is located right by the State Theater. Hall said the theater is being renovated and they plan on connecting with them to offer patrons a chance to flavor some local entertainment along with flavoring local foods and brews.
“The theater has a huge stage and screen. People could come in, grab drinks and food, and enjoy a show like local bands or movies.”
People who come into the supply store side will also get a chance to talk about home brewing and brewing recipes.
Across from South Bend Brew Werks table at the 2013 Brewfest was the highly anticipated Drewerys Brewery Company information booth. Although they didn’t have beer samples to offer, they drew a curious crowd wanting to hear more about their re-launch of South Bend’s historic Drewerys Brewery—a brand many have not seen for over 40 years.
Drewerys Marketing Representative Art McCormick said that the current owner Francis Manzo, an entrepreneur from Chicago, is interested in older vintage brands of beer like Drewerys, which is part of the reason why he plans to revive the brand.
“The beers should be available in stores by the end of the year,” said McCormick. “Drewerys wants to be as authentic as possible in bringing it back.” However, he said there would be some modifications made to the recipe.
From old brews with lots of history to new brews trying to make history, many stopped by to sample some of their favorite local brews, like Iechyda Da Brewing of Elkhart, Four Horsemen of South Bend, and Bare Hands of Granger. Each offered brews from pale ales, to porters to stouts, from light and mellow to dark and strong.
Ben Roule, co-owner and vice president of sales and marketing of the newly popular Four Horsemen Brewing Company, poured glass after glass of the various beers he had for sampling, like Irish Stout and Irish Red. The business is only about a year and a half old, the company has already sold around 6,000 cases in Northwest Indiana.
Kim Peffley, IUSB alumni, said, “I am surprised at the number of people here.” Her friend Rachel McDonough another IUSB alumi said, “I am happy to support our local breweries.” Kim said she was glad to have the opportunity to try so many different kinds and flavors of beer, and thought that many attendees may be more inclined to order local brews the next time they go out to a bar.
The 2013 Brewfest made many aware of the exciting opportunities that companies like South Bend Brew Werks, Drewerys Brewing Company and The Four Horsemen Brewing Company has to offer to the South Bend community.
Entry Open for Chicago’s Winter Brew Competition
Ready, set, brew!
Beer enthusiasts from all over Chicago are getting ready for Winter Brew, a competition that defines home brewing.
Brewers can enter their pride in 86 categories ranging from Blonde Ale to Belgian Dark. Each entry costs $10 and requires two 12-ounce capped bottles.
Square Kegs of Lincoln Square — a home brew club for North Siders that originated in the neighborhood — hosts the competition.
Organizers instate a 200-entry cap and have already received 27 submissions.
Entries started Dec. 14 and will run through Jan. 18 at 3 p.m. Beer can be shipped or dropped off at Ruff Haus Pets, 4652 North Rockwell Street.
Judging will be on Jan. 26 at 8:30 a.m. for an awards ceremony Feb. 9 at Dank Haus, 4740 North Western Ave. Tickets will go on sale in January and last year, the event sold out.
More information on entering beer can be found on the competition’s website.
Mid-Michigan residents delight in seasonal beer brewing
Many Mid-Michigan beer enthusiasts have gone a step beyond purchasing seasonal favorites and have started making them on their own.
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Mt. Pleasant resident Pat Jones said he received his homebrewing equipment as a graduation present in May, and fine tunes his craft every month.
“I got into it because I really enjoy drinking craft beer,” he said. “The next logical step was to make some.”
Mt. Pleasant resident Paul Avery, who homebrews between once a week and once a month from his apartment, said this time of year, he finds himself adding a lot of seasonal ingredients to his beer.
In the summer, he uses cherries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries.
But when the cold hits, he transitions to a few more seasonal ingredients.
“This time of year, you can go out and you can cut actual spruce trees, the needles,” Avery said. “You can make kind of a citrusy beer, a little wintery.”
Beer enthusiasts partner to open Strawn Brewing Company
A new micro-brewery will soon open its doors in the city of Fairburn — Strawn Brewing Company.
The brewery is the result of a partnership between Brothers Will and Lamar Strawn and Doug Evans.
The Strawn brothers and Evan met in a beer-brewing hobby group and from there, decided to pursue a business venture.
For Evans, however, his love of beer goes back many years.
“I am retired Air Force, and I used to go to Germany and taste all the great beers in the 1980s and 1990s,” he said. “At that time there was a big micro-brewery craze in California, but we didn’t see it on the east coast.”
Evans decided to take up home brewing to recreate the flavors he missed from Germany.
Around that same time, he joined the brewing hobby group and met the Strawn brothers.
Upon deciding on their business venture, the first factor was location, location, location.
Originally, the trio sought a Fayetteville location but found there was too much red tape to go through.
They settled on Fairburn because the city was more receptive to their concept.
“There were no problems whatsoever,” said Evans. “Things have been great since the beginning.”
The business licensing process began roughly 13 months ago in July of last year and the culmination of more than a year of hard work will end in Strawn Brewery’s opening in a few weeks.
Currently, the brewery is producing three types of beers, which have varying levels of popularity.
“Right now, we have our amber ale, wheat ale and Scottish ale,” Evans said.
The amber ale will most likely be the most popular ale, he said, followed closely by the wheat ale, which is lighter in color, and the Scottish ale, which is darker, murkier and has a malty flavor to it.
Opening date for the brewery is tentative, but Evans said they hope to be up and running by the end of the month.
Once the brewery opens its doors to the public, three-hour Saturday afternoon tours will be offered.
Strawn Brewing Company is at 27 Word St. in Fairburn.
Information: www.strawnbrewing.com.
Crafted With Pride: Event at garden to showcase North Carolina beer
It will also include home brewing demonstrations, with Gastonia banker and self-proclaimed tree hugger Verne Deason, who has been brewing beers at home for more than six years, cranking out a batch of all-grain pale ale at the event.
Deason, whose day job involves overseeing a dozen offices in the Gastonia-Charlotte-Lake Norman metro area as a consumer banking manager, is an all-grain brewer on the weekends. He fashioned most of the equipment he uses for brewing from ingenuity and the internet.
He’ll get to the garden early today to get everything he needs set up so beer enthusiasts can see what he does and ask questions. The imperial red ale he plans to make at the event won’t be ready until three weeks later.
“I’m going to drink it and have friends over to drink it,” he said.
Deason said that he, like the vast majority of home brewers, started out with simple home brew kits that included powdered malt extract to be mixed with water.
“It shortcuts the brewing process a lot, which is great,” he said. But the process is limiting, he said, and by switching to the all-grain method of home brewing, he “can really control the outcome and it’s cheaper.”
Plus it promotes a greater appreciation for the craft beer movement taking root in North Carolina. The state ranks 28th in breweries per capita, according to the Brewers Association, a trade group for the industry. That’s up from 34th three years ago.
That includes an uptick in Charlotte craft beer production, with NoDa Brewing, Birdsong Brewing and Heist Brewery opening within the past year. Those breweries join the already established Four Friends Brewing, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Kind Beers, Triple C Brewing Company and Rock Bottom Restaurant Brewery.
The suds should begin to flow on this side of the Catawba River soon, with the Stout Brewing Company announcing plans to open sometime in early 2013 in Kings Mountain and the newly formed Gaston Brewing Company stating plans to deliver its beers by next October.
The regional breweries are beneficial for a home brewer like Deason, who likes to try all different kinds of craft brews, and beer drinkers looking to expand their palates.
“They introduce more craft beer to people that are used to drinking what I call training beers,” or mass-produced lagers, he said.
And if greater exposure to craft beers inspires you to make your won, Harvest Brewed can give you a leg up in getting started, Deason said.
“There’s definitely a learning curve,” he said, “but if you talk to different people and get some good, sound advice, if you want to get into it you can avoid some pitfalls and headaches.”
You can just call these beer enthusiasts the Brews Brothers – Daily Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Many different circumstances can draw someone toward home beer brewing.
It could be a lack of quality beer in their area, or it could be that they just like to drink the stuff they make themselves, said local beer aficionado Rob Absten.
Absten, 43, of Cross Lanes, has been brewing beer on his own for about five years.
The attorney actually made his first stab at brewing when he was in college, but that attempt at making a palatable brew failed, and the hobby fell to the wayside.
But when Absten moved back here from Pittsburgh, he was frustrated by the lack of quality craft beers.
“Finding a good beer in this area at the time was really hard,” he said.
He moved back before the state Legislature passed a law making it legal to sell beer with alcohol content higher than 6 percent. That law was passed in 2009.
Many craft beers have higher alcohol content and could not be sold in the state until the law was changed.
So Absten purchased a home-brew kit, read up on the basics and jumped back into the hobby.
Now he is seeing many others try it out and it doesn’t surprise him. More people are growing their own food, and making beer falls along those lines, he said.
The increased availability of craft beer actually encourages people to try brewing, he added.
“Having good beer available will mean people want even more good beer,” he said while sipping an American pale ale he made himself. “It just feeds on itself.”
Home-brewing isn’t difficult, he added. Kits are available online at a variety of different websites starting at $50.
Of course, the kits can be much more expensive depending on the complexity of the system.
“You can spend as much money as you want to on them,” he said.
One website where brewing kits can be obtained is the Mr. Beer site at www.mrbeer.com. They also can be obtained at stores in cities in surrounding states such as Cincinnati; Athens, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, he said.
Absten and another local beer enthusiast, Rich Ireland, 50, of Charleston, say the hobby attracts people from all walks of life. Ireland is a salesman in the instrumentation business.
“It’s mainly the curious types that get into home brewing,” Ireland said. “Then you have your hippies and farmer types that like it because they made it.”
Ireland also has seen people take up brewing because they enjoy the scientific process of turning barley, hops and yeast into something they can drink in front of the television set.
Ireland, the author of a local beer blog, has been making his own beer for about 20 years.
“I was always curious about it,” he said.
Event at garden to showcase North Carolina beer
The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden will serve as a personal craft brewery for dozens of beer enthusiasts, as well as one Gaston home brewer, Friday night when the garden hosts its Harvest Brewed event. Limited tickets remain for the event, which will feature a couple dozen Carolina craft brews and imports, some homebrews to sample and an appearance by Erik Lars Myers, author of “North Carolina Craft Beer and Breweries.”
It will also include home brewing demonstrations, with Gastonia banker and self-proclaimed tree hugger Verne Deason , who has been brewing beers at home for more than six years, cranking out a batch of all-grain pale ale at the event.
Deason, whose day job involves overseeing a dozen offices in the Gastonia-Charlotte-Lake Norman metro area as a consumer banking manager, is an all-grain brewer on the weekends. He fashioned most of the equipment he uses for brewing from ingenuity and the internet.
He’ll get to the garden early Friday to get everything he needs set up so beer enthusiasts can see what he does and ask questions. The imperial red ale he plans to make at the event won’t be ready until three weeks later.
“I’m going to drink it and have friends over to drink it,” he said.
Deason said that he, like the vast majority of home brewers, started out with simple home brew kits that included powdered malt extract to be mixed with water.
“It shortcuts the brewing process a lot, which is great,” he said. But the process is limiting, he said, and by switching to the all-grain method of home brewing, he “can really control the outcome and it’s cheaper.”
Plus it promotes a greater appreciation for the craft beer movement taking root in North Carolina. The state ranks 28th in breweries per capita, according to the Brewers Association, a trade group for the industry. That’s up from 34th three years ago.
That includes an uptick in Charlotte craft beer production, with NoDa Brewing, Birdsong Brewing and Heist Brewery opening within the past year. Those breweries join the already established Four Friends Brewing, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Kind Beers, Triple C Brewing Company and Rock Bottom Restaurant Brewery.
The suds should begin to flow on this side of the Catawba River soon, with the Stout Brewing Company announcing plans to open sometime in early 2013 in Kings Mountain and the newly formed Gaston Brewing Company stating plans to deliver its beers by next October.
The regional breweries are beneficial for a home brewer like Deason, who likes to try all different kinds of craft brews, and beer drinkers looking to expand their palates.
“They introduce more craft beer to people that are used to drinking what I call training beers,” or mass-produced lagers, he said.
And if greater exposure to craft beers inspires you to make your won, Harvest Brewed can give you a leg up in getting started, Deason said.
“There’s definitely a learning curve,” he said, “but if you talk to different people and get some good, sound advice, if you want to get into it you can avoid some pitfalls and headaches.”
WANT TO GO?
Harvest Brewed takes place from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday Oct. 26 at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, 6500 S. New Hope Road, Belmont. The event will feature two dozen craft beers and imports, home brewing demonstrations and an appearance by Erik Lars Myers, author of “North Carolina Craft Beer and Breweries.”
Belmont’s Alternative Beverage will present a demonstration table that includes an aromatic sampling of hops and all the equipment needed to start your own brewing operation. Other event exhibitors include Ladybug Farms and Bakery of Kings Mountain, which produces bread from gently used grains provided by Foothills Brewery in Winston-Salem. Live music will be provided by singer and guitarist Chris Hertz of Mount Holly.
Limited tickets are available. Tickets are $35, $25 garden members, and are good for unlimited beer samples and light appetizers while supplies last, a sampling glass and garden admission. Advance ticket purchase recommended.
For more information, visit www.dsbg.org or call 704-825-4490.
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