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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
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Contents:
  Texas Homebrewing is again Legal (sort of) (jmellby)

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Date: Fri, 16 Jun 89 09:48:31 CDT
From: jmellby at ngstl1.csc.ti.com
Subject: Texas Homebrewing is again Legal (sort of)

Texas Home-brew Vindicated!

The Texas House (Senate?) has passed the bill that lets Texans take
home-brewed beer (and wine) outside their homes again.

The way this came about, the fall homebrew competition is at one of two
Houston bars.  An employee at the bar that didn't have the competition
got mad and wrote to the Texas Alcohol and Tobacco Commission (TABC).
They examined the homebrew law and decided that it meant Texans
could brew, but they
	1. Could not take homebrew outside the home, and
	2. Could not give homebrew to anyone outside their family.

This sharply curtails any socializing with homebrew.

We got a bill together, and everyone called their representatives, which
again lets us give homebrew to others, have competitions, etc.

The only restriction is that we have to notify the TABC whenever we
take homebrew outside our homes.  ("Dear TABC .. I'm taking 2 liters of
Dog-gone Porter to Jack Smiths house on the 19th.")

Of course, all the other alcohol-related bills died a horrible death,
including brewpub laws, a law letting the small breweries make higher
alcohol content beer (especially best bitters, porters, etc.).

Perhaps someone could give me a suggestion on problems I am having with
my ale.  In the last several batches I have a high terminal gravity (1015)
and despite using as little as 1/2 c sugar for priming 5 gallons, the
bottles are over-carbonating.

My theory (which I would like someone to tell me whether this is true)
is that since I am fermenting at room temperature, 70-75 degrees, the
fermentation doesn't quite finish.  All the last 3 batches have had a
terminal gravity between 1015 and 1020, and all have been allowed to
sit 2-3 weeks with no noticable activity in the secondary fermenter.
I am wondering whether the fermentation should be 10 degrees colder,
say 65 degrees, and whether this would cause the fermentation to
proceed to a lower gravity?  I have had suggestions to put the fermenter
in a bathtub with a little water, and drape towels over it to cool it
slightly by evaporation.  Does this work?

Surviving the American Dream
John R. Mellby                       Texas Instruments
jmellby%ngstl1.ti.com                P.O.Box 660246, MS 3645
                                     Dallas Texas, 75266
(214)517-5370 (home)                 (214)343-7585
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* "A cult is a religion with no political power." *
*                                   -- Tom Wolfe  *
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End of HOMEBREW Digest #179, 06/17/89

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