photo courtesy palebrewers.org
The suburban Chicago lawmaker sponsoring legislation to allow homebrewers to showcase their beers at festivals in Illinois now has over a dozen homebrew clubs and the American Homebrewers Association in his corner.
The legislation, as proposed, would tweak the Illinois Liquor Control Act to allow homebrew to be entered into festivals and competitions. The bill also goes to great lengths to define both a homebrewer and homebrewed beer.
Illinois homebrewers have taken part in festivals in the past, but in 2011 the Illinois Liquor Control Commission started cracking down on the practice.
The Joliet Herald News reports the AHA has been working with clubs across the state, and bill sponsor State Representative Keith Farnham, on the wording of the legislation – which was introduced in late September.
“Gary Glass, director of the Colorado-based American Homebrewers Association, also has been working with homebrewing groups in Illinois on the wording of the proposed legislation. Glass said he heard from 17 clubs in the state that have had input into the document.”
The AHA recently helped pass homebrew friendly legislation in Oregon and Wisconsin and is currently working with groups in Missouri and Kansas – along with Illinois – to do the same.
The earliest the legislation could be taken up is during the Fall Veto Session, which takes place during the last week of November and the first week of December.
HB 6299
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