MADISON, Wis. — About the only thing Kevin Flynn enjoys more than drinking his home-brewed beer is sharing it with fellow beer club members at festivals and tasting competitions. So Flynn and his buddies were shocked to discover that Wisconsin law prohibits sharing homemade suds anywhere outside the brewer’s home.
The law could “pretty much be the end of competitions in Wisconsin,” he said. “At least legal ones.”
An explosion of interest in home brewing is forcing lawmakers across the country to review long-forgotten alcohol laws, some of which date to Prohibition. Although the rules are rarely enforced, beer enthusiasts fear they could criminalize the rapidly growing hobby and kill scores of annual tasting events.
At least 17 states have ambiguous laws on whether home brewers can transport beer or wine outside the home, according to the American Homebrewers Association in Boulder
. The Wisconsin Legislature last week passed a bill to allow homebrewers to transport homemade beer and wine and to share it with other adults. Dan Grady of the Wisconsin Homebrewers Alliance said beermakers need to be watchful in case states try to use the issue to generate money for their tight budgets.
Colorado statute allows producers to transport their home brews for sharing at organized affairs, exhibitions or competitions, according to the American Homebrewers Association.
