St. Louis Bans Homebrew from Local Beer Festival

The St. Louis Brewers Heritage Festival kicks off this Friday. The idea is to showcase the great local breweries of the Gateway to the West. In preparation, local homebrew clubs like the Garage Brewers and the East Side Brewers whipped up hundreds of gallons of their best suds to share with beer-seekers from around the nation as well.

On Monday, St. Louis Excise Commissioner Robert Kraiberg told the festival organizers that they couldn't allow the homebrews to be served at an event where tickets were sold. That would be tantamount to reselling the beer, the commissioner said, which is iillegal. 

The response from festival participants and organizers: Thank you, sir! May I have another?

"The good things is, we now have clarity from the Excise Division that homebrewed beers from unlicensed brewers are not legal at paid beer festivals," [Schlafly CEO Dan Kopman] told the Post-Dispatch on Monday night.

When festival organizers are pleased to finally have clarity that their plans are illegal mere days before the party kicks off, we are in a bad way. But Kopman and others remain optimistic thoes unfair and silly rules can be changed. Here's the rest of that quote above.

 "The bad news, of course, is that this was a very cool part of Heritage Festival, and we may have to introduce a bill in the state legislature or else find another solution."

I guess he hasn't been talking with his local the food truck owners.

Via Mark Sletten.