Grizzly Growler

Utah became the 46th state to legalize homebrewing recently, according to the Brewer’s Association, along with other significant changes to the state’s alcohol policies.
This encourages me, because if a state like Utah, with a lot of religious interests mixed in with its government, can do it, it gives me hope for Montana.
But it also begs the question, are the two different animals or just different sides of the same animal?
Montana’s alcohol policies, like most states, were born out of prohibition. But, Utah’s policies were crafted and honed by the interests of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, a religious group that discourages the practice of drinking alcohol and other beverages.
Montana’s policies have been crafted and honed by the voice of the the Montana Tavern Owners Association, and the laws are fundamentally embedded in anti-competitive legislation that caters to the needs of one particular group of business owners.
In some ways, Utah is putting Montana to shame, because the state, which is largely politically controlled by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is progressive enough to recognize the craft brewing industry’s impact on the state financially.
Good-’ol-boy politics in Montana are hindering true economic reform in the area of beer tourism, and though the passage of HB400, which allows brewers a few concessions, like brewing higher-gravity beer, is a good thing, it’s a far cry from the laws recently changed in Utah.
By the way, HB 400 just awaits the governor’s signature, and those of us who love craft beer should see Chimay’s blue and white labels along with other beers available in area grocery stores again.
And, just for fun, since the federal government legalized homebrewing in 1978, just four states continue to ban the practice. They are; Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Oklahoma.

Let’s tip one back to our beleaguered friends in those states and hope that they can all be inspired by Utah, of all places.

Prost,

GG

Share on Facebook