The Beer Thread

Alabama bans beer brand over dirty name

Dirty Bastard beer by Founders Brewing Co.

Updated: Thursday, 19 Apr 2012, 9:57 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 19 Apr 2012, 8:20 PM EDT
By Jay Reeves, Associated Press



BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - You can buy Fat Bastard wine in Alabama, but you'll have to go elsewhere for Dirty Bastard beer.

The state alcoholic beverage control agency said Thursday it has banned the sale of Dirty Bastard beer in the state because of the profanity on its label.

Beer and wine are commonly sold in grocery and convenience stores and anyone can see the labels, so staff members rejected the brand because parents may not want young people to see rough language on the shelves, said Bob Martin, an attorney with the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

"That's the whole reason for the rule, to keep dirty pictures and dirty words away from children," he said. "Personally, I believe the staff made the right call."

Workers at the agency consulted sources including the Federal Communications Commission and Wikipedia to develop a list of objectionable words that should not appear on product labels, Martin said, and the list includes "bastard."

The state allows the sale of Fat Bastard wine and also approved the sale of another brand of beer called Raging Bitch, Martin said, but both of those decisions were made years ago.

"I have no idea how or why or exactly when that went through," he said.

He said the agency considered revoking those earlier approvals when it denied the application for Dirty Bastard, but officials decided against such action.

The maker of Dirty Bastard, Michigan-based Founders Brewing Co., can appeal the decision to the agency's board, which meets next month. A company spokesman did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Alabama gained notice a few years ago for banning a wine brand that featured a nude nymph on its label. Its decision on the beer is opposed by Free The Hops, a group that advocates for new beer brands in Alabama.

More than one-third of Alabama's 67 counties still prohibit the sale of alcohol, and all but two counties in north Alabama are dry.


Copyright Associated Press, Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

James wrote:
Hope they keep the price low, the quality high, and keep the six pack format. 32oz of that stuff is alot to drink.

"On Lagunitas Sucks (paraphrased):

Lagunitas is also ?working hard? to put Lagunitas Sucks in 32 oz. stubby (squat) bottles. ?We?re going to cram it in next to the Schlitz malt Liquor and all the ?Hood beers.?? It will be a year-round release with varied packaging beginning this fall. Gives credit to Les Claypool and Primus who put out bumper stickers that said ?Primus Sucks.? Had wanted to do a beer called ?Lagunitas Sucks? for 10-12 years and finally had the opportunity when the company ran up against capacity and couldn?t produce some of its usual beers this past winter."

32 oz of sucks is a lot. But excited they are distributing it year round, what a great IPA.

James wrote:
Alabama bans beer brand over dirty name

Dirty Bastard beer by Founders Brewing Co.

Updated: Thursday, 19 Apr 2012, 9:57 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 19 Apr 2012, 8:20 PM EDT
By Jay Reeves, Associated Press

AP goofed on this one - the story is over a month old.  Alabama is reconsidering the decision.

http://www.freethehops.org/blog/2012/04/founders-bastard-beer-approval-update/
http://beerpulse.com/2012/04/alabama-beverage-commission-reconsidering-founders-bastards-ban/

alabama is in the news for another beer-related reason this week: it is currently illegal to brew your own beer in the state (i believe it is one of three).  there is a bill up for vote in the AL legislature that will allow for small amounts of homebrewed beer for personal use  (i.e. what you can do in the other 47 states).  i believe the bill is up for a vote today.  go alabama - welcome to the 20th century!

EDIT: it's two states, not three - mississippi is the other prohibition-era hold-out.  with any luck it will soon be alone.  utah and oklahoma are two states that just recently change their laws to allow for homebrewing.

i know someone that always is railing against the government and doesn't want the government controlling the lives of people . . . as he lives in a dry county.

You know Ron Swanson?

walkonby wrote:
i know someone that always is railing against the government and doesn't want the government controlling the lives of people

If you like experimenting with your alcohol or have a case or two of less than optimal brew. The Randall Jr. gives you a good opportunity to mess with it.
http://www.dogfish.com/store/beer-drinkin-goods/other-accessories/randall-jr.htm

Tried it with some Nugget hops to a Red Hook Long Hammer IPA that worked out well.

Then added some ginger to Uncommon Brewers - Siamese Twin that made it slightly more drinkable but still not enjoyable.

Next up is infusing hops into vodka.

looking to brew a saison or farmhouse in the next month or so… anyone have good recommendations for beers to try with similar style? 

stevewizzle wrote:
looking to brew a saison or farmhouse in the next month or so… anyone have good recommendations for beers to try with similar style? 

Stillwater Stateside or Cellar Door are both great
Hennepin

stevewizzle wrote:
looking to brew a saison or farmhouse in the next month or so… anyone have good recommendations for beers to try with similar style? 

i've seen Dupont Saison referred to as the stereotypical/prototypical saison.

i'm in love with Victory's Helios (formerly V-Saison).

what goes into brewing a saison?  specific saison yeast and a higher fermentation temp (80*F and up) are two things that make the style.  they're usually hoppier than the average belgian and has a fairly simple grain bill (mostly Pilsner malt, maybe a little Vienna and/or Munich). anything else? 

i wanna brew myself another light/summer'y beer and a saison is definitely a considered option.  my idea is to stock up so i don't have to brew much during the summer - too hot to keep the stove on for an hour.  it's either that, or get a turkey fryer which i'm less inclined to do.

sweetcell wrote:
what goes into brewing a saison?  specific saison yeast and a higher fermentation temp (80*F and up) are two things that make the style.  they're usually hoppier than the average belgian and has a fairly simple grain bill (mostly Pilsner malt, maybe a little Vienna and/or Munich). anything else? 

i wanna brew myself another light/summer'y beer and a saison is definitely a considered option.  my idea is to stock up so i don't have to brew much during the summer - too hot to keep the stove on for an hour.  it's either that, or get a turkey fryer which i'm less inclined to do.

You pretty much nailed it.  Yeast and high fermentation temp is pretty much the difference maker. Dryness and lower hops (although not always) around 40 IBU's makes it fairly stereotypical.

Dupont I hear is somewhere crazy like 95*F. I really need to drink another one, it's been years. Some people try and use Dupont yeast, but it's a frustrating process I read. Also have read on HBT to take a recipe that you already like, switch the yeast and the fermenting temp and you're gold. 

Thanks for the suggestions.

Had a left over hopslam last night and it was still delicious!

Yada wrote:
Had a left over hopslam last night and it was still delicious!

how was the hoppiness?  still as much bite as when you had the previous one, fresh?

hop flavor is supposed to fade with time… did you notice that?

what do people think of DC Brau?

I think I'm thinking of the IPA. They have it at the club.

Good question…not sure I've really had any.  I'm on a bit of a self-imposed beer exile for a bit…but I'm still stocking up.  Saw some at my local store and was going to pick it up to try, but if anyone thinks it's not worth it (or that it IS worth it), I'd love to hear.

hutch wrote:
what do people think of DC Brau?

hutch wrote:
what do people think of DC Brau?

I think I'm thinking of the IPA. They have it at the club.

The Public (Pale Ale) is my session beer of choice.

I'm not as big a fan of The Corruption (IPA).

The Citizen (Belgian IPA) is great, but most bars don't stock it.

Very respectable, yet falling below exceptional on ratebeer.com

http://www.ratebeer.com/brewers/dc-brau-brewing-company/12763/

Though since it's only distributed locally, you probably have alot of homers knocking up the score higher than it should be.

I did a side by side tasting of their Armageddon DIPA with Stone Ruination, and it wasn't in the same league with Ruination…but few DIPA's are. Still, was tasty.

hutch wrote:
what do people think of DC Brau?

I think I'm thinking of the IPA. They have it at the club.

anyone having problems locating the Sam Adams Noble Pils this year?

Corruption gets a similar rating at BA: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25327/69290

the Bros like it, rating it exceptional, but they only try hundreds of beers a year, at least one is a graduate of American Brewers Guild's Brewing School, they run BA magazine, etc, so what do they know ::)

Bagley wrote:
anyone having problems locating the Sam Adams Noble Pils this year?

saw it last night at my local beer shop in R'ville.

FYI noble pils is no longer a seasonal offering - it is now a regular from SA.

sweetcell wrote:

Yada wrote:
Had a left over hopslam last night and it was still delicious!

how was the hoppiness?  still as much bite as when you had the previous one, fresh?

hop flavor is supposed to fade with time… did you notice that?

It faded slightly, but it was still delicious. I'd say the presence of alcohol was a bit more prevelant rather than the hoppiness fading away. I will say it's undoubtedly my favorite hoppy brew. I do have a case of heady topper coming in a few weeks and I'm quite excited to try it.

HoyaSaxa03 wrote:

hutch wrote:
what do people think of DC Brau?

I think I'm thinking of the IPA. They have it at the club.

The Public (Pale Ale) is my session beer of choice.

I'm not as big a fan of The Corruption (IPA).

The Citizen (Belgian IPA) is great, but most bars don't stock it.

Bitter American is  a great beer as well with a nice taste and it's not too strong…