Maybe you’ve heard some of your beer loving friends lament an increase in craft beer prices, the current world-wide hop shortage and how the shortage has altered the character of their favorite beers.  A combination of factors, including a vast surplus of hops in the 90s, decreased hop farm acreage in the early 2000s and a devastating hail storm in Czechoslovakia and Slovenia in 2007 has led to hop price increases of as much as 500% for some varieties.  Other varieties simply can’t be found.  Hopheads around the world fear they won’t see their favorite Imperial IPAs on the market for at least a few years, until the market recovers.  Many craft brewers are being forced to reformulate their most popular hoppy beers, substituting alternate hop varieties for their “signature” varieties.

However, Sierra Nevada isn’t letting the hop shortage damage their reputation for producing some of the best craft beers in the U.S.  Last month, Sierra Nevada released its “Early Spring Beer,” an American version of an English Extra Special Bitter (ESB) that “combines the best of English tradition with West Coast style;” and, at 5.9% abv, the beer just barely escapes being criminal in Alabama, so Auburn residents are fortunate to be able to enjoy it.  For this brew, Sierra Nevada uses a blend of English and American malts and hops to produce a delicious and refreshing unfiltered ale with a reddish-copper hue, a unique rich and malty sweetness, an earthy spiciness as bitterness and a slight cedar and citrus aroma.

In Auburn, Sierra Nevada Early Spring Beer first appeared on the shelves of Kroger at Glenn and Dean and Kroger in Tigertown (we think).  By the time this edition of the Corner News is published, this incredible ESB should also be on the shelves at the BP (Samford and Gay) and at the Mellow Mushroom.

John Little is a healthcare attorney whose real passion is brewing beer.  If you’re interested in learning to brew your own, visit auburnbrewclub.org.

John Little | Auburn, Alabama | http://auburnbrewclub.org

SB355 to legalize homebrewing passed the Senate Tourism & Marketing Committee this morning.  Now what is needed as soon as is humanly possible is for the bill to come up for a Senate floor vote.  That requires that the bill be placed on a “Special Order Calendar.”  There is yet another Committee in charge of placing a bill on the Special Order Calendar.  That is the Rules Committee.

Attached is a document you can use to track which of the Rules Committee members you have contacted and by what method.  Feel free to hand write a letter, place a phone call, send a fax, send an email, etc.  Or better yet contact them via all methods.  Try to say something different each time you contact the Senator via a different method.

Today was the 22nd out of 30 legislative days.  There are generally 2 legislative days per week, so we don’t have that many legislative days left, and we still have to get through the House.  But occasionally the flood gates will open and alot of bills get passed at the very end of the session.  This may be one of those years.

We need you help.  Please make these contacts yourself and recruit others to make some contacts also.  Get your spouse or significant other to make some contacts for you.

We can do this if we try!

sb355_rulecommitteecontacts.doc

Call the following numbers before Thursday.  This should take about
10 minutes total. A receptionist will answer. Make the following points:

(i) I’d like to see SB355 concerning homebrewing voted favorably out
of committee this Thursday.

(ii) Please ask Senator ______ to try to get some of the other
Senators who are not on the Committee to support the bill once it
does make it out of Committee.

BOBBY SINGLETON (D), Chairman, (334) 242-7935
EDWARD McCLAIN (D), Vice-Chairman, (334) 242-7867, (205) 781-0786
LOWELL BARRON (D), (334) 242-7858, (256) 623-2298
CHARLES BISHOP (R), (334) 242-7894, (205) 221-4950
PAT LINDSEY (D), (334) 242-7843, (205) 459-2478
DEL MARSH (R), (334) 242-7877, (256) 237-8647
MYRON PENN (D), (334) 242-7868, (334) 775-9778
QUINTON ROSS, Jr. (D), (334) 242-7880
WENDELL MITCHELL (D), (334) 242-7883, (334) 244-1877
ZEB LITTLE (D), Senate Majority Leader, (334) 242-7855, (256) 775-7707
JABO WAGGONER (R), (334) 242-7892, (205) 978-7405

RODGER SMITHERMAN (D), (334) 242-7870, (205) 322-0012
[Mr. Smitherman is the sponsor of SB355. Please thank him for
sponsoring and ask for his continued help in getting the bill passed
in the Senate.]

John Little | Auburn, Alabama | http://auburnbrewclub.org

Friends:

After years in the making, we finally have a bill in the Alabama
Senate that would legalize homebrewing in Alabama, permit tastings to
be held, and permit competition organizers to charge a fee for
competition entries…. all without taxation or licensure requirements.

There are also bills in the House and Senate which would allow beer
to be sold in Alabama with an ABV of up to 13.9%.

The text of HB196, SB116, SB355 are all posted at the links below:

http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACTIONViewFrame.asp?TYPE=Instrument&INST=HB196&DOCPATH=searchableinstruments/2008RS/Printfiles/&PHYDOCPATH=//alisondb/acas/searchableinstruments/2008RS/PrintFiles/&DOCNAMES=HB196-int.pdf

http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACTIONViewFrame.asp?TYPE=Instrument&INST=SB116&DOCPATH=searchableinstruments/2008RS/Printfiles/&PHYDOCPATH=//alisondb/acas/searchableinstruments/2008RS/PrintFiles/&DOCNAMES=SB116-int.pdf,SB116-eng.pdf

http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ACTIONViewFrame.asp?TYPE=Instrument&INST=SB355&DOCPATH=searchableinstruments/2008RS/Printfiles/&PHYDOCPATH=//alisondb/acas/searchableinstruments/2008RS/PrintFiles/&DOCNAMES=SB355-int.pdf

EVERYONE PLEASE CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVE AND SENATOR ABOUT THESE BILLS !!!!!

Find your Rep and Sen. contact info. here:
http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/zipsearch.html

Please forward this email to anyone you know who would support this cause!

Also, it would be very helpful if you’d let me know if you get a
response from your rep and senator, so their position can be
centrally logged with Free the Hops.

Thanks for your help, and I look forward to see you all again soon.

John Little | Auburn, Alabama
http://www.auburnbrewclub.org

American Pale Ales (APAs) are among the most popular craft beers consumed in the United States. It seems Americans are always driven to do things bigger and better than they’re done in other parts of the world, and producing craft beer is no exception. So, while built upon the tradition of English Pale Ales, APAs are characterized by a more assertive hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. Most versions are made with distinctive American hops which tend to have a notable sharp citrus or piney character, such as Cascade, Amarillo, Centennial and Columbus hops (in contrast to English hops which tend to have a more subtle and subdued earthy and floral character in beer).

However, the relatively pronounced hop character of APAs is typically supported by a moderate yet clean malt backbone derived from indigenous North American 2-row pale barley (as opposed to the typical English pale malts which tend to have a bready, biscuity or toasty character). While the balance of an APA usually leans toward its hop character, the clean American malt character can be significant. Some APAs are now being made with a significant amount of rye malt, giving the beer a distinctive crisp and spicy rye bite.

In appearance, APAs are typically clear, though not usually crystal clear, with a golden copper color. Well made and properly poured APAs will have a large white to off-white creamy and persistent head.

The beer is typically served well carbonated and is best enjoyed at around 55 degrees in order to fully experience the APA’s flavor and aroma. It has a crisp finish and is a refreshing beer year-round.

If you’d like to enjoy a few APAs with a meal, remember that beers with assertive hop character can seem to deaden your taste buds. However, it is suggested by some that such beers go perfectly with smoked or fried seafood, as well as highly spiced cuisines.

You’ll have the best luck finding good commercial examples of the American Pale Ale style at Mellow Mushroom (North College), Buffalo’s American Grille (East Magnolia) and the BP Station (Samford and Gay). Look for Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Terrapin Rye Pale Ale, Firestone Pale Ale and Sweetwater 420 Extra Pale Ale.

But the truly adventurous craft beer lover should experience the thrill of successfully brewing a good American Pale Ale at home. Fresh beer, customized to taste, and a great sense of personal satisfaction are the rewards of homebrewing. The Auburn-Opelika area now has an active homebrew club and welcomes those interested in learning to brew. Visit http://www.auburnbrewclub.org for more information.

Reprinted with permission from John Little of AuburnBrewClub.org

Free The Hops | Alabamians For Specialty Beer

The Trappist beers of Belgium are excellent examples of the beers FTH seeks to bring to Alabama. These beers which are made by Trappist monks include Chimay Grand Reserve, Westmalle Dubbel, Orval, and Rochefort 10 to name just a few. Savored and enjoyed like the finest wines or scotches, they are inarguably among the best beers in the world.

You may have never heard of the Trappist beers because currently none of them are sold in Alabama. Yet our neighbor to the east, Georgia, sees all of these specialty beers plus many, many more. In fact, only 1 or 2 of the top 100 beers in the world (as rated by BeerAdvocate.com) can be found in Alabama.

And it might surprise you to find out that these fine beers made by Belgian monks are prohibited from being sold in Alabama. By law, they simply cannot be sold here. That is what FTH is trying to change. We want to give Alabamians the option to choose the Mercedes of beers.

The world’s finest and most expensive beers are prohibited in Alabama as result of the state’s current alcohol by volume (ABV) and container size limits for beer. Visit our missing beers page to learn more about how FTH is seeking to change these laws and bring world class beer to Alabama.

The Alabama Restrictions

The world’s finest and most expensive beers are prohibited in Alabama as result of the state’s current alcohol by volume (ABV) and container size limits for beer. Beverages defined as beer under Alabama law can contain no more than 6% alcohol by volume (ABV) and can be sold in containers no larger than 16 ounces.

Meanwhile beverages defined as wine can contain up to 24% ABV and have no container size restrictions. (Note: Under Alabama law, wine is further divided into “table wine” which has a limit of 14.9% ABV and “fortified wine” which has a limit of 24% ABV.) Likewise, liquor can contain up to 100% ABV and can be sold in any size container under Alabama law.

The ABV Restriction

The Current ABV Law
The 6% limit appears once in The Code of Alabama, in §28-3-1(3), addressing the regulation of alcoholic beverages. That section contains the following definition:

“BEER, or MALT OR BREWED BEVERAGES. Any beer, lager beer, ale, porter, malt or brewed beverage, or similar fermented malt liquor containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume and not in excess of five percent alcohol by weight and six percent by volume, by whatever name the same may be called.”

The Gourmet Beer Bill
In the 2006 and 2007 Alabama Legislative Sessions, FTH proposed the following Gourmet Beer Bill which would have changed the limit on beer to that of table wine in Alabama. FTH will be proposing this same bill in the 2008 Alabama Legislative Session.

“BEER, or MALT OR BREWED BEVERAGES. Any beer, lager beer, ale, porter, malt or brewed beverage, or similar fermented malt liquor containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume and not in excess of five percent alcohol by weight and six fourteen and nine-tenths percent by volume, by whatever name the same may be called.”

This minor change is all it takes.

The Container Size Restriction The container size limit appears once in The Code of Alabama, in §28-3A-23(g), addressing the regulation of licenses for selling alcohol. That section contains the following rule controlling retailers licensed by the state to sell alcohol:

“All beer, except draft or keg beer, sold by retailers must be sold or dispensed in bottles, cans or other containers not to exceed one pint or 16 ounces.”

Alabama is the only state in the country with this peculiar restriction. FTH supports the removal of this regulation, but has not introduced any legislation to change it and has no immediate plans to do so.

Additional Restrictions

Beer brewing and sales in Alabama are further restricted in other ways. For example, brewpubs in Alabama must meet the stringent requirements of being located in a historical building. They must also be located in a county in which beer was brewed for public consumption prior to the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1919. Breweries which distribute beer and the practice of home brewing face similar antiquated restrictions in Alabama.

FTH supports the removal of these and other arbitrary restrictions on beer brewing and sales.

Ok, now for the Honey Porter. I haven’t had many porters so I’ll admit I have somewhat bought into the stigma of porters being extremly heavy and somewhat harsh. Well, if that is true for most porters it doesn’t fit this one.

Sam Adam’s Honey Porter was smooth, rich, and well, good. I really enjoyed this one and it even reminds me a bit of our last review, Sam Adam’s Black Lager. It leaves a nice trailing honey flavor and dosen’t punch on the way down or after. It definatley has earned a place on my “would buy anytime” list.

I keep meaning to try these beers with different foods to add something to my reviews but alas this one was had solo.

-Rob

You can get this beer in six pack or mix pack at Tiger Town Kroger as well as a few other places around town.

Please let us know if you’ve enjoyed this one or if you know of anywhere you can get this on tap.

-Rob

(Locally Available @ Kroger in Tiger Town)

From Sam Adams website:

When one sees a beer with a darker complexion these days, more often than not it’s a Porter or Stout. However looks can be deceiving. There exists a style older than both and generally less well known; the Schwarzbier, which literally translated is “Black Beer.” Unlike its dark cousins which both hail from Britain and are highly hopped ales, Schwarzbier comes from Germany, is lightly hopped and is fermented using a bottom fermenting lager yeast. Samuel Adams® Black Lager is brewed in the tradition of the latter. A medium bodied beer brewed using several different roasts of malt to give the end product a smooth body and a depth of malt character that has to be tasted to be believed.

There will be an additional Review of this beer soon by another local reviewer so keep an eye out for it. Also, any additional reviews of this beer we receive before that one is posted we’ll put in that post so send in your reviews today!