2010 Legislative Agenda

The hops are a lot freer with the signing of the Gourmet Beer Bill, but there are still plenty of other issues that Free the Hops need to address. Our agenda for this year has been announced, and you can read details on the FTH Blog.

Help Us Free The Hops

Free The Hops | Alabamians For Specialty Beer (FTH) is a grassroots, non-profit organization whose mission is to help bring the highest quality beers in the world to Alabama. These beers are commonly referred to as craft beers due to the skill and artistry required to brew them, but they are also appropriately classified as specialty or gourmet. You might think of them as the Mercedes of beers.

In pursuit of its mission, FTH introduced The Gourmet Beer Bill to the Alabama Legislature in 2006. This bill proposed that the allowable alcohol by volume (ABV) in beer be increased from 6% to 13.9%, allowing hundreds of world class beers into the state. FTH pushed The Gourmet Beer Bill for four legislative sessions and finally saw it become law when Governor Bob Riley signed it on May 22, 2009. Since then, numerous newly legal beers have been making their way to the shelves of Alabama's bars, restaurants, and retail stores.

With this major restriction gone, FTH is now looking to the future of specialty beer in Alabama. While many decisions remain to be made, it is certain that FTH will play a continuing role in beer culture and beer education in Alabama. As such, we invite you to view our beer education section which contains an introduction to beer styles, beer and food pairing ideas, and other helpful information. Check out our online community to connect with other FTH members and learn where to find gourmet beers in your area. Also, be sure to check out our restrictions page for an overview of restrictions on beer and brewing in Alabama that still remain.