Gary Glass talks homebrewing, beer laws in the South, the Craft Brewers Conference, DC’s beer scene, the annual Big Brew Celebration...
When Mississippi passed Senate Bill #2183 last month
to legalize homebrewing (see the press release here), there were some great
supporters who played an integral role on this moment in brewing history.
Besides the great work organizations like Raise Your Pints has done (shout out to President
Craig Hendry), the Director of the American Homebrewers Association, Gary Glass,
was also a major player in making history down South. In fact, besides working
with AHA for the last seven years, Gary has dedicated 13 years with the Brewers Association as well.
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| Gary Glass chillin' with...a glass! |
I had the pleasure of attending this year’s Craft Brewers Conference in Washington,
DC from March 26th through the 29th; Gary, of course, was
also there. It was my first one, but I knew Mr. Glass was seasoned vet so I had
to give him an interview. Read on as I get his take on the CBC 2013, what
breweries were a hit in DC, plus, since Gary has started homebrewing in 1993, I
am sure he has some things to say about this awesome hobby’s present and future.
Check it out as he gives a detailed play-by-play on what went down in Ole Miss
and what neighboring Alabama has in store when it comes to brew! The latter is
the last state left to legalize homebrewing. Sheesh!
Ale: I had a blast
at the CBC. Since you have been to a few, what did you think about it
being in DC and made it stand out compared to the others?
Gary Glass: What
wowed me at this year’s CBC, a few things. First, the sheer number of people; there
were a lot of people that I know were there, but I just never saw due to the
size of the event. Second, the trade show was amazing! It was nearly four times
the space of last year’s BrewExpo, yet it was full of vendors, many
showcasing new hardware.
Oh, and the
Welcome Reception! That was crazy!
Yes! I don’t know how we can possibly top this year’s which
was held at the National Air & Space Museum. Combine 3000+ brewers, great
beer, excellent food with all kinds of air and spacecraft—both old and new—and
you have a real winner.
Did you get a
chance to get to go any brew spots or breweries? I hit up a few including a few
spots in the Commons.
I did get to visit a few DC breweries while I was in
town. I was particularly impressed by DC Brau. They've really got something
special going on there. Another highlight was 3 Stars. They are
small, but they are making some really interesting beers, including a Gose,
that while under 3 percent ABV, it was packed with flavor—perfect for a 9 a.m.
brewery tour. I was also privileged to see the Blue Jacket Brewing facility
while it was still under construction. That will be a truly amazing brewpub
when it opens. I guess I’ll have to plan a return trip.
Shoot, me too! You
made some serious rounds, my friend. I will definitely be in the house next
year when it is in Denver. Moving on to homebrewing, let’s talk about what’s
going on law-wise, especially in the South.
Sure. In the world of homebrewing, we are seeing a lot of
legislative activity beyond just legalizing homebrewing in Mississippi and
Alabama. Georgia and Iowa both recently passed bills to officially allow
homebrewers to remove their homebrew from the home for events and club
meetings. Similar legislation is working its way through the Missouri, Illinois
and Ohio legislatures.
Homebrewing continues to grow around the country. We are
in the process of compiling the results of our annual survey of homebrew supply
retailers and are seeing that 2012 was another year of double-digit growth in
the homebrewing market.
Good to hear! I
want to specifically about Mississippi’s passing of the bill. Please discuss
the toughest hurdle during this campaign. What was the opposition's reasoning?
The biggest challenge in passing homebrew legislation in
a state like Mississippi is educating legislators about homebrewers. We find
there is often a misperception that homebrewing is the same thing as
moonshining, which is not at all the case.
Homebrewers are hobbyists who are dedicated to making the most
interesting and flavorful beers they can; they are not distilling and are not
participating in an illicit trade for profit.
They do it because it is fun.
What was your
counter-argument to your opposition and who provided the biggest support?
Raise Your Pints, an organization whose mission is to
promote and enhance craft beer culture in Mississippi, played the leading role
in getting homebrew legalization passed. Raise Your Pints hosted events that
introduced legislators to Mississippi homebrewers and their beers. When legislators meet the people who
participate in the hobby, they are quickly dispelled of the notion that
homebrewer is synonymous with moonshiner.
They quickly see the passion and creativity that goes into making great
homebrew.
It doesn't hurt to point out that homebrewing has been a
part of our national identity since the earliest English settlements in the new
world and that many of our nation’s founders, including George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, were homebrewers.
I wonder how good
their brews were and what they made. Anyway, what is the next step for
Mississippi in terms selling homebrew supplies, ingredients and everything else
after the passing of this bill?
Mississippi already has two recently opened homebrew
supply shops. Legalizing homebrewing will encourage more entrepreneurs to open
new homebrew shops as the stigma of selling supplies for an illegal activity
will be lifted, and more Mississippi residents are encourage to openly
participate in the hobby. As homebrewing grows within the state, Mississippi
can also expect to see more homebrewers going pro and opening their own
commercial craft breweries, which will bring jobs and tax revenue to the state.
What bills are you
looking for the state to pass next and how do you see the overall future for
the Mississippi beer scene?
Mississippi passed legislation last year to allow higher
strength beers to be sold within the state and now has legalized homebrewing,
so I think the most important steps have been taken. The new homebrew law is a good one, modeled
closely after the federal homebrew law, so I don’t see any need for further
changes on the homebrew front. I’d leave
it to Raise Your Pints and the craft brewers of Mississippi to determine what
the next legislative goal should be.
How long do you
think Alabama has to follow Mississippi’s lead?
Alabama has been working on homebrew legalization longer
than Mississippi. Last year, a homebrew bill was passed by the state House and
the same bill cleared a Senate committee hearing, but the legislative session
ended before the bill got a vote before the full Senate. This year, that same bill was filed in both
the House and Senate and has cleared committees in both chambers. If the bills
get scheduled for votes in the House and Senate, I think they will pass. If so,
the Alabama law will actually go into effect before the Mississippi law, since
the Alabama bill becomes effective immediately upon being signed by the
Governor, while the Mississippi law does not go into effect until July 1, 2013.
What are your
favorite breweries and beer bars in Mississippi?
I’ve been to Mississippi once to participate in a Raise
Your Pints event where Mississippi homebrewers served their beer to members of
the Mississippi state legislature along with other Mississippi state government
officials. I was truly impressed by the
quality and diversity of the homebrews that were showcased at the event. I have had the pleasure of sampling some of
the excellent beers made by LazyMagnolia Brewing Co. and found the Belgian-style Blond from Lucky Town Brewing Co. to be truly
outstanding.
Okay, let’s wrap
it up because I know how busy you are. Let’s give our readers some closing thoughts.
I am very proud of the effort put into getting
homebrewing legalized by the Mississippi homebrewing community and am glad the
American Homebrewers Association was able to contribute to that effort. I am
hopeful that we will see homebrewing legalized in Alabama this year as well,
which would mean that Americans can legally homebrew in all 50 states for the
first time since prohibition.
Speaking of the other states, who else has some serious progression going on?
In the world of homebrewing, we are seeing a lot of
legislative activity beyond just legalizing homebrewing in Mississippi and
Alabama. Georgia and Iowa both recently passed bills to officially allow
homebrewers to remove their homebrew from the home for events and club
meetings. Similar legislation is working its way through the Missouri, Illinois
and Ohio legislatures.
Overall, Ale, homebrewing continues to grow around the country. We are
in the process of compiling the results of our annual survey of homebrew supply
retailers and are seeing that 2012 was another year of double-digit growth in
the homebrewing market.
Oh! And talk about something you have brewing May 4th!
Oh yes! We are also gearing up for our annual Big Brew celebration on May 4th. For Big Brew, we have homebrewers all over the world register their brewing sites, have friends come over and all brew the same recipes at the same time. It’s a really cool demonstration of homebrew solidarity and fun! [Here is more info.]
Sounds awesome! Thanks for
cruisin’ for a brewsin’, Gary!
Cheers!
Just so you know, National Homebrew Day is May 7th! Make sure you keep up with great organizations like Raise
Your Pints, the American Homebrewers Association, and Brewers Association so we
can all fight the power!
Ale
