[IBU] FW: FW: Craft Beer in Iowa
Joe Stutler
joe at stutler.biz
Wed Jan 30 11:27:53 CST 2008
FYI
Best regards,
Joe Stutler
www.beer-u.com <http://www.beer-u.com/>
319 389-7888
-----Original Message-----
From: randle.boyd at mchsi.com [mailto:randle.boyd at mchsi.com]
Sent: Wed 2008-01-30 08:09
To: Joe Stutler
Cc:
Subject: Re: FW: Craft Beer in Iowa
Joe, both excellent ideas. A 17% limit works for me and it makes sense to stay in line with vintners. Would you mind sending this information about the wine makers to the IBU mailing list, so that everyone following this process is current?
I don't know what has happened with Mike England, but a current, updateable website would definitely be helpful.
Cheers,
Randle
-------------- Original message from "Joe Stutler" <joe at stutler.biz>: --------------
Hi Randle,
I'm getting ready to send a version of the letter you have on the IBU website. I'd like to make a suggestion, and I'm forwarding the correspondence I've had with Ray Zirkelback (below). Suggestion is to adjust your letter to raise the ceiling to 17% abw. Reasoning is it'll be easier to tie in craft and specialty beer with the increase the vintners got recently, so it puts beer on par with wine. This idea comes from talking with a few legislators and lawyers to get a sense of how to approach the problem.
I've got the ear of my local reps here so will be pushing the issue from Linn County.
If Mike England is no longer maintaining the LiftTheLimit site, what are your thoughts on creating a new one with similar content, a petition, etc. I am willing to host it and can get local support in the beer community.
Thoughts?
Best regards,
Joe Stutler
www.beer-u.com <http://www.beer-u.com/>
319 389-7888
From: Joe Stutler
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 16:42
To: Zirkelbach, Ray [LEGIS]
Subject: RE: Craft Beer in Iowa
Ray,
Depending on your email system, the markups below may not have come through.
Here's the proposed versions of subsections 5 and 7:
5. "Alcoholic liquor" or "intoxicating liquor" means the varieties of liquor defined in subsections 3 and 33 which contain more than five percent of alcohol by weight, and every other liquid or solid, patented or not, containing spirits and every beverage obtained by the process described in subsections 7 or 37 containing more than seventeen percent alcohol by weight or twenty-one and twenty-five hundredths percent of alcohol by volume, and susceptible of being consumed by a human being, for beverage purposes. Alcohol manufactured in this state for use as fuel pursuant to an experimental distilled spirits plant permit or its equivalent issued by the federal bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms is not an "alcoholic liquor" .
7. "Beer" means any liquid capable of being used for beverage purposes made by the fermentation of an infusion in potable water of barley, malt, and hops, with or without unmalted grains or decorticated and degerminated grains or made by the fermentation of or by distillation of the fermented products of fruit, fruit extracts, or other agricultural products, containing more than one-half of one percent of alcohol by volume.
If we must have an upper ceiling on ABV/ABW, the following verbage can be appended to the end of the last sentence in subsection 7: "but not more than seventeen percent of alcohol by weight or twenty-one and twenty-five hundredths percent of alcohol by volume." While still a bit low for some specialty beers, this will help ensure parity with wine.
Another item that just caught my eye is subsection 22A - Native Wine, which says [22A. "Native wine" means wine manufactured in this state.] A subsection 22B - Native Beer might be in order as well. Proposed language: [22B. "Native beer" means beer manufactured in this state.]
Again, thanks for your support on this issue.
Cheers!
Joe
"Make sure that the beer - four pints a week - goes to the troops under fire before any of the parties in the rear get a drop." -Winston Churchill to his Secretary of War, 1944
-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Stutler
Sent: Wed 2008-01-23 16:04
To: Zirkelbach, Ray [LEGIS]
Cc:
Subject: RE: Craft Beer in Iowa
Ray,
Basic idea is there is a disconnect between the rules for wine and the rules for beer in Iowa. I don't have all the details at this point, but the basic definition of "Beer" as defined in Iowa Administrative Code, Section 123.3 (Definitions) subsection 7 is wrong:
7. "Beer" means any liquid capable of being used for beverage purposes made by the fermentation of an infusion in potable water of barley, malt, and hops, with or without unmalted grains or decorticated and degerminated grains or made by the fermentation of or by distillation of the fermented products of fruit, fruit extracts, or other agricultural products, containing more than one-half of one percent of alcohol by volume but not more than five percent of alcohol by weight but not including mixed drinks or cocktails mixed on the premises.
The phrase "but not more than five percent of alcohol by weight" is irrelevant to beer. Various styles of beer are often more than 5% - Barley Wine, Russian Imperial Stout, various Belgian ales, etc. Some styles can exceed 20% (Samuel Adams Millennium & Utopia, eisbock, Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, etc.). Folks that are going to consume higher gravity beers are not kids - a bottle of Millennium, for example, costs ~$120.00.
It appears that subsection 3 will also need to be adjusted:
CURRENT: 5. "Alcoholic liquor" or "intoxicating liquor" means the varieties of liquor defined in subsections 3 and 33 which contain more than five percent of alcohol by weight, beverages made as described in subsection 7 which beverages contain more than five percent of alcohol by weight but which are not wine as defined in subsection 37, and every other liquid or solid, patented or not, containing spirits and every beverage obtained by the process described in subsection 37 containing more than seventeen percent alcohol by weight or twenty-one and twenty-five hundredths percent of alcohol by volume, and susceptible of being consumed by a human being, for beverage purposes. Alcohol manufactured in this state for use as fuel pursuant to an experimental distilled spirits plant permit or its equivalent issued by the federal bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms is not an "alcoholic liquor" .
SUGGESTED 5. "Alcoholic liquor" or "intoxicating liquor" means the varieties of liquor defined in subsections 3 and 33 which contain more than five percent of alcohol by weight, beverages made as described in subsection 7 which beverages contain more than five percent of alcohol by weight but which are not wine as defined in subsection 37, and every other liquid or solid, patented or not, containing spirits and every beverage obtained by the process described in subsections 7 or 37 containing more than seventeen percent alcohol by weight or twenty-one and twenty-five hundredths percent of alcohol by volume, and susceptible of being consumed by a human being, for beverage purposes. Alcohol manufactured in this state for use as fuel pursuant to an experimental distilled spirits plant permit or its equivalent issued by the federal bureau of alcohol, tobacco and firearms is not an "alcoholi c liquor" .
I'm not sure what else would need to be changed, but this is a start, and put beer and wine on parity with each other with regard to proof, etc.
Best,
Joe Stutler
319 389-7888
-----Original Message-----
From: Zirkelbach, Ray [LEGIS] [mailto:Ray.Zirkelbach at legis.state.ia.us]
Sent: Wed 2008-01-23 15:26
To: Joe Stutler
Cc:
Subject: RE: Craft Beer in Iowa
Joe,
No, it does not need to be in complete detail. I just need the basics, and then we can change/add later. If I could even get it by this afternoon, that would be great.
-Ray
-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Stutler [mailto:joe at stutler.biz]
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 11:43 AM
To: Zirkelbach, Ray [LEGIS]
Subject: RE: Craft Beer in Iowa
Ray,
Does the proposal have to be in complete detail or is there a way to do a placeholder while the details are worked out?
Best,
Joe
-----Original Message-----
From: Zirkelbach, Ray [LEGIS] [mailto:Ray.Zirkelbach at legis.state.ia.us]
Sent: Wed 2008-01-23 11:33
To: Joe Stutler
Cc:
Subject: RE: Craft Beer in Iowa
Joe,
I would need a proposal immediately--the deadline to introduce bills is Friday. Thanks for the email.
-Ray
-----Original Message-----
From: Joe Stutler [mailto:joe at stutler.biz]
Sent: Wednesday, January 23, 2008 11:05 AM
To: Zirkelbach, Ray [LEGIS]
Cc: Staed, Art [LEGIS]; Olson, Tyler [LEGIS]; Foege, Ro [LEGIS]; Taylor, Todd [LEGIS]; Taylor, Dick [LEGIS]; Dandekar, Swati [LEGIS]; Hogg, Rob [LEGIS]; Horn, Wally [LEGIS]; Dvorsky, Robert [LEGIS]
Subject: Craft Beer in Iowa
Hi Ray,
Welcome home, thanks for serving, and it's good to have you back in the legislature. I'm sure you don't remember me, but we met at a Dodd event a few months back. I was heading up the Veterans for Dodd folks in Linn County...I'm a Gulf War vet.
Anyway, I understand you're a beer aficionado. Very nice! I teach beer classes (appreciation, cooking with, brewing, etc) and am a brewer myself. I've heard you are looking into getting some parity between Iowa's vintners and brewers. Recently, the legislature relaxed some of the wine rules, yet our brewers (and consumers) haven't gotten any attention. I'd like to work with you and your fellow legislators to help Iowa's brewers produce better and higher-quality beers and eliminate the competitive disadvantage Iowa has in relation to surrounding states.
As cliché as it sounds, I'd like to sit down with you over a beer and see what can be done to improve Iowa's brewing environment. I've cc'd a couple of legislators from Linn County to see how they can be of assistance on this, too. I know a really nice brewpub in Cedar Rapids that would be a great place to have a conference/meeting - Third Base Brewery (formerly Cedar Brewing) - and it'd be an honor for me to buy the first round!
Warmest regards,
Joe Stutler
www.beer-u.com
319 389-7888
581 Ashton PL NE #1
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
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