Illinois Homebrew Alliance (IHA) Call to Action

If you are a homebrewer, or you are a friend with a Homebrewer, please take a moment to read this. The Vote is scheduled for this week, so the sooner you call, the more impact you will have!

The IHA has been working to draft a bill that will change Illinois Law to codify existing practices and expand curtailed rights for Homebrewers.

The bill that was drafted, House Bill #630 (HB630) was negotiated with a group called the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois (ABDI) over the last few months. The bill, while not perfect, gets us a number of things that we as Homebrewers want. Among them are:

– Homebrew Tastings will be legal (again) at Beer Festivals such as, oh, I don’t know, the Midwest Brewers Fest!
– Homebrew will be legal to consume in any location where commercial beer can be consumed. (so long as you don’t share it with the public). The park, tailgating, Ravinia, …a Homebrew Club Meeting… all become officially legal.
– The fermenting of Homebrew becomes legal at any Homebrew Shop willing to allow it.
– Homebrew Shops, if they get the insurance for it, are allowed to brew their own homebrew and serve samples to customers.

To get this bill passed, we need you to take 15 minutes out of your day and make two telephone calls.

– Visit IllinoisHomebrew.org, locate your Illinois Senator & Illinois Representative on the website, click on their name, locate their Springfield Office phone number and call it.
– Tell the person the phone “My name is YOUR_NAME_HERE and I am calling to ask you to support House Bill 630.” If they ask your address and name, be sure to provide it so they can confirm you residency.
– Tell your friends, family, and neighbors to make the same phone calls!

That is it. You have done your part to help ensure the passage of House Bill 630. Thank You and Congratulations, go open a Homebrew in celebration!