ATLANTA – Beer enthusiasts would be able to compete with other home brewers under legislation Rep. Jason Spencer introduced Tuesday.
House Bill 99 raises from 50 to 100 gallons the amount of beer an unlicensed amateur can brew in a year – 200 gallons for a couple. And with a $50 permit from the Department of Revenue, it allows transporting up to 25 gallons so that participation in out-of-town competitions is possible, said the Woodbine Republican.
Current law forbids transporting of non-taxed alcohol.
“Our laws regulating homebrew are kind of antiquated,” said Spencer.
He doesn’t brew his own and isn’t a brewski aficionado, but he likes the idea of personal freedom and the possibility that brew fests could become a tourism draw to his area and others around the state.
“We would like to attract those to Atlanta, Savannah and maybe other places on the coast,” he said.