IMPORTANT news about Heritage Festival

[beermikester]

I received the following email from Pat Book, who is organizing the homebrew portion of Heritage Festival:



Home Brewers,

On Friday (06/08) we received a call from the Excise Commissioner regarding the availability of home brewed beer at the St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival. They had received a question as to the legality of home brewer beers at the Heritage Festival. I met with the Excise Commissioner this morning to review the legal status. We discussed the fact that home brewers beers have been available for patrons to sample at the Heritage Festival as well as other areas festivals in the past. While everyone acknowledges the value to our brewing community of having the home brewed beers available the fact is that we have concluded it is illegal for us to serve these beers at the Festival. Patrons purchase a ticket to the Festival and this includes samples of the beers from the commercial brewers and from home brewers. As the retailer, we cannot resell beer that has been provided to the Festival by a non-licensed brewer. I recognize that this notice is very late.

The plan is to still offer a Festival session ticket to all home brewers that have brewed a 5-gallon batch for the Festival. We would still like to have a demonstration on the site if possible and Pat will speak to the respective clubs about that possibility. In addition, we are going to work with the St. Louis Brewers Guild member brewers to schedule a private event at one of the member commercial breweries at which we can gather and sample your beers planned for the Festival this weekend. I hope to have more information on this event soon but plan to invite your club members and enjoy the day with us.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Dan Kopman
Co-Founder, Schlafly Beer




We appreciate all the work Dan Kopman has put in trying to allow us to participate in this festival. But unfortunately, this means that we will not be able to serve homebrew at the Heritage Festival this year. I will be sending out email to all Heritage Festival volunteers and beer donators with this information. It looks like if you made beer for the festival or volunteered to pour, you will still get your tickets to attend the festival. Kally is submitting that list tonight.

This really sucks, not only for this festival, but for other festivals we may wish to participate in. Hopefully, they get this straightened out soon.


Mike Walters
President, St. Louis, Brews

[BeerGuy]

Who is this Excise Commissioner, and why are we now being told the opposite that we've been told by State Liquor Control? I hope someone jumps on this issue and checks into it's validity. Is this a City, County, State or Federal issue? Please don't take this decision as gospel and simply agree to it.

[astx813]

Please don't take this decision as gospel and simply agree to it.

Much as I don't want to accept this, it's coming from Dan Kopman. I have to assume that he didn't just get this news and roll over and accept it. I believe he did his best to argue the point, but we have 4 business days left before showtime. Now that the legality issue is a concern, we're not going to get the go-ahead from the organizers unless they're completely assured, and I don't see how they'll get that assurance in such a short time. Hopefully, the issue will be reviewed and we can determine a way to keep things legal for future festivals. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure we're shut out of all of them until we can actually do something about the law... (maybe Tom will come to our aid...)

Now if you'll excuse me, I have 5 gallons of something wheaty to get rid of.

[bmock]

Welcome To Facebook.

[BeerGuy]

Hopefully, the issue will be reviewed and we can determine a way to keep things legal for future festivals.

Exactly what I was saying. I don't believe this IS illegal. Someone get on the horn to the State authorities, so they can straighten out this city official with a Napoleon complex.

[Kally]

I echo what Mike said. We all know that Dan is not one to sit by and watch the wrong thing happen. Schlafly had to have all the rules changed to exist in the first place. This will be revisited, rest assured, particularly in the face of all of the other festivals that we're involved in. For now, our partners have been very supportive of us and we will be present for them and supportive of great craft beer in St Louis at the festival this weekend.

There are a lot of ideas running around the clubs with how to best use the epic quantities of homebrew at hand.

Cheers

[astx813]

There are a lot of ideas running around the clubs with how to best use the epic quantities of homebrew at hand.

Charity event (at a brewery or somewhere cool with the requisite licenses) where we give away beer in exchange for donations to Lift For Life (or ACS, Forest Park, STL Zoo, my homebrew equipment slush fund...)?

[wnordmann]

Law is very tricky and interpretative. Not that I don't agree with Sean we are donating this beer and it is being given away all within the law. The only problem is one official that doesn't like it, but that's all it takes. Dan Kopman has plenty to risk and even a small fine is blemish on his liquor license. With 4 days left it'll be difficult to get the point infront of the right person. Maybe it's just an issue of marketing the event should be marketed as "20 Breweries plus 500 gallons of Free Homebrew".

Maybe we should get a tent outside the event to just give our beer away?

[Kai]

I agree with everyone. How's that for taking a stance? Mostly, in the short-term, I agree with Mike and Kally. Let's show a great deal of CLASS during the next several days.

I am also very much in support of navigating Missouri Statutes in Chapter 311. Maybe our participation is legal under an umbrella law. Maybe our participation does not fall under any umbrella and therefore it is indeed currently illegal. I have a feeling that this event could ripple into something quite larger than our club or St. Louis... but let's please choose the high road.

Like astx813 said, I've got some deliciousness to drink.

Let's be classy about this.

Live well,
Kai

[Kally]

that's a fantastic idea if we could procure an event permit...and it didn't detract from the charity providing aspect of the main fest. You guys make some great points...this is about helping Lift for Life afterall. It's a real shame that charity is suddenly being squelched in light of all the precedents already set. I'm very curious to see how the press runs with this. We must be vigilant to respect our brewing friends of all kinds.

[Bierleichen]

I agree with Kai that people need to keep their heads, but I don't think there's anything wrong with politely letting Mayor Slay and perhaps your Alderman (if you live in the city) know that you disagree with the Excise Commission.

[turkeyjerky214]

In the words of Lt. Dan Taylor, "God damn bless America"

[ZooKeeper]

I agree with Kai that people need to keep their heads, but I don't think there's anything wrong with politely letting Mayor Slay and perhaps your Alderman (if you live in the city) know that you disagree with the Excise Commission.

Word

[astx813]

Also, this thread was linked to in the article Evan Benn just posted on STL Today, so let's definitely stay level headed. Hello STL Today readers!

[Kally]

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/dining/bars-and-clubs-other/hip-hops/st-louis-homebrew-is-illegal-at-heritage-festival/article_f1f1a866-b439-11e1-ab83-0019bb30f31a.html#.T9a5O1tYDEN.facebook