Folks, this seems to be important.  It appears that it is not legal for us to bring homebrew outside our household.  I’m not sure if it’s specifically illegal to do so, but this effort is aimed at making sure that it is specifically allowed.

Other states have had similar issues.  In Oregon, they had to cancel the state fair competition a few years ago, because it was illegal to transport homebrew.  They’ve since changed their laws.

Please take a few minutes and contact your representatives.  It doesn’t have to be a long email, quantity of comments is more important.

Thanks!

//Mike Behrendt

From: Chad Haatvedt [mailto:chad@haatvedt.net]
Sent: Monday, March 24, 2014 11:47 PM
To: jackofallbrews@yahoo.com; mgbrew@comcast.net; swpickle@gmail.com; mafinnesgard@hotmail.com; keith.m.brady@gmail.com
Subject: Call to Action - MN homebrewing legislation

Dear Eric, Mike, Steven, Anna and Keith

I am writing to you in regards to important legislation that was recently introduced in the Minnesota Legislature regarding  home brewing. As you may know, existing Minnesota law does not explicitly allow for homebrew to be served for anything other than “family use.”

My club, the Boreal Brewers of Grand Rapids, Minn. has worked with Minnesota State Representative Tom Anzelc and State Senator Tom Saxhaug to introduce identical bills in the House (HF2999) and Senate (SF2604) that, if passed, would explicitly allow for homemade beer and wine to be used for organized affairs, exhibitions, tastings and competition.

We need homebrewers from all corners of the state to contact their legislators to ask them to support the bills.  It is important that your elected representatives see there is a need for the law to be changed.   Who Represents Me? is the Minnesota Legislature web site for identifying those legislators who represent you.  I recall a MN senator a few years back stating that if they get ten letters on a topic they sit up and take notice; if they get fifty, they’re amazed.

We also need you to contact Representative Joe Atkins, Chair: Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy, and ask him to support the bill as well.  His email address is rep.joe.atkins@house.mn.  HF 2999 has been referred to his committee, and we need to be proactive to make sure it gets passed on to the floor.

You can help by contacting your brew club members and urging them to contact their representatives.  When contacting your legislators, it is not important to write a novel, instead, just a quick note asking them to support the home brewing bills that were introduced this spring.

We have more information about the proposed changes at our website: www.borealbrewers.com.  We also have some talking point for including in correspondence with them.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Thanks for helping us get the word out and supporting this important legislation.

Relax and Have a Homebrew.

Chad Haatvedt, Member and Webmaster
Boreal Brewers
www.borealbrewers.com
chad@haatvedt.net
218.301.9544