Homebrew Competitions Can Be Held In NC – Legally

Apparently the NCABC saw the error in allowing the State Fair to hold a homebrew competition, but to not allow homebrew clubs to have them. The response I saw from Bob Hamilton (edited below) was:

The NC ABC Commission will not prosecute administrative violations as they relate to Homebrew Competitions (such as the one held by the NC State Fair) under the following conditions:

1. The only attendees are the judges, stewards, event organizers and media
2. The general public is not allowed
3. Tickets cannot be sold nor can anyone be charged for beer
4. Judges and stewards are the only people allowed to consume the product
5. If the competition is held in a brewery’s retail area the area must be closed for alcohol sales
6. Any homebrew held at the brewery or retailer’s site must be sealed, separated from stock and clearly marked as competition entries
7. Once the competition is complete any open containers must be destroyed or removed before the brewery’s retails sales can resume

The NC ALE Director has been notified of this policy.

Please understand that this policy can and will change if there are future health, safety or welfare issues that we are made aware of.

There are some items in there which I find slightly disturbing such as “will not prosecute” and “this policy can and will change.” Please throw all your support behind Operation Liberate Homebrew once the legislation is introduced in the next session. We should not have to change because the wind blows in a different direction at NCABC and the only way to secure a future for homebrew competitions is to change the statutes.

It’s About Time Cabela’s!

Cabela’s just announced they are now going to allow online firearm sales and will transfer your order to a local store at no additional cost. It’s about time they figured out this service was needed. There have been several times over the years where a particular Cabela’s had a firearm I was interested in, but the hoops to getting it were too cumbersome for me to stomach. Now you can simply check the inventory, order, and go pickup once the firearm arrives. Of course it is new firearms only so they still have work to do, but this is a step in the right direction.

Total Wine To The Rescue

A few days ago I posted asking what happened to buck a bottle craft beer when what to my wondering eye should appear but a Total Wine add with coupons for beer. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Torpedo IPA for $10 per 12 pack with a limit of two packs. I can see a trip to the store in my future.

Why Don’t We Discuss Home Distilling?

I was on a homebrew discussion site and someone asked about acquiring a small setup for distillation. While many may desire to give it a whirl and it is not rocket science it is ILLEGAL to distill alcohol for consumption at home. For that reason we don’t discuss it. What’s the first rule of Fight Club?

Should I Get A C&R License?

If you are a fan of the older firearms, as I am, then you have probably considered whether or not to get a C&R (Curio and Relic) license AKA FFL 03. The allure is being able to have firearms delivered to your address without having to go to another business. Their are record keeping requirements which are not cumbersome, but the ATF could conceivably visit and ask to see those records and the firearms. The downside is the number of C&R pistols out there for you to purchase is limited. Basically what you will find is the P64, Tokarev, and Star Model B. You would think it would be easy to get a Makarov, but only those of Russian origin are listed the more prevalent Bulgarian are not C&R firearms. There are a host of old firearms which are on the list, but the seller may not honor your C&R if you go in with a signed copy. For that reason the best way to use it is on the web as opposed to showing up in person. If you love rifles then a C&R is something you should certainly get to collect them. Before you go through the process it would advisable to spend some time looking at the list of C&R firearms on the ATF list to make sure there are enough on it which might interest you. The forms for the license are on the ATF website and the application process is straightforward and easy. So if you are interested in old firearms definitely check into it, but if your focus is handguns I would suggest you take a pass unless the application fees are less in total than what you would spend to transfer the handguns at your local FFL.

What Happened To Buck A Bottle Beer?

I can recall not too long ago an expensive six-pack was $8, Sam Adams was $7, and you could occasionally find a sixer for $6. I do so miss those buck a bottle days. I wanted some IPA and happened to be in Aldi and found their house brand so I picked up a sixer. Even there the price of a sixer of IPA was $6.99. (Full disclosure, while there I was able to get a sixer of Wernesgrüner for $5.99.) I guess my topic should be good buck a bottle beer because the Wild Range IPA from Aldi was mediocre at best as an IPA, but not bad as an Amber. I think my new mission will be to find the absolute best beer deal out there. It might turn out to be PBR before all is said and done if one was looking for a lawnmower beer with flavor. At $18 for a 30 pack it is a steal. Unfortunately that still doesn’t help me find an inexpensive IPA. The search continues…

What About .22LR?

After our post yesterday we received a response on Facebook commenting on the .22LR and a conversion kit for the AR. You may recall our post yesterday was about firearms to have in the event of an extended emergency situation. While very true with the AR one could swap out the upper and carry extra magazines I think it would be better to have a dedicated .22LR long gun if that is something you want to have in your emergency supplies. It would be bad enough in the situation carrying around rifle and handgun magazines so adding more to the mix might not be the best idea. Most people would gravitate to the Ruger 10-22 as the rifle of choice, but again it is more magazines to keep up with and carry. Sure you can get double 25 mags, but the magazine is bulky and still has to be switched end over end. I would suggest you look at a Marlin Model 60. It has a tubular magazine and pre-1980s would hold at least 17 rounds and some sources say 18. In the late 80s the capacity dropped to 14, but that would be plenty of rounds for hunting small game or shooting at longer distances. The .22LR is a dirty cartridge so if for some reason in the event of an extended emergency you are shooting hundred of rounds cleaning would eventually be necessary, but most of the action was not meant to be taken apart for cleaning so no worries if you cannot get every nook and cranny. A good used Model 60 should set you back $125 if you can find one, while brand new the price will often be $175 or less. Carrying two rifles, one shotgun, two semi-automatics, and one revolver would be a chore if moving on foot, but with the post yesterday and the one today you have my suggestions for the firearms to have in an extended emergency situation to achieve the maximum standardization of cartridges and magazines. You would be able to chamber and fire .22LR, .223, 5.56, 12 gauge, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, 9mm, and .45 Auto. As those are the most popular cartridges and shot shells in the US you should be all set. As always if anything was missed or overlooked please let us know!

Perfect Prepper Firearms

So I’m not a doomsday type of individual, but I do believe it is intelligent to be prepared. I guess in some ways any level of preparedness would earn one the title of prepper whether they believe the end of the world is near or not. I was watching a movie last night and the heroine picked up an M-16 and carried it and a 1911 for much of the movie. I started thinking about it and with the popularity of the modern sporting rifle an AR is the perfect choice. While not everyone will have one and ammo in stores has been scarce at times the rifle is in many homes across the US. The magazines are compatible for all ARs and even some other rifles although running into them would be a rare occurrence. So if you were looking for something you could have, but also might find ammunition and magazines for while out and about the AR would be the rifle of choice. One caveat, be sure the one you choose is chambered for 5.56 and .223. If it is chambered for only a .223 your ammunition choices will be limited to .223. Since a shotgun typically does not have a magazine the cartridge would be the area to focus on and none is more popular in the US than the 12 gauge. I personally have never had any issue other than a broken safety button on a pump-action 12 gauge so that would be my suggestion for those looking for a dependable shotgun.

Handguns are a much more difficult bird to tackle. A revolver would make sense except it is not as popular now as it once was. Even with the semi-automatic leading the market a .357 Magnum would make sense as it could chamber both .38 Special and .357 Magnum. You are limited in capacity to typically five or six rounds, but malfunctions in revolvers are rare. My favorite, a Ruger GP100, would be a bit large in a 6″ barrel to carry full time, but a 4″ might fit the bill well and you could throw it at someone if you ran out of bullets. As far as semi-automatic handguns your choices to find something universal and easy to find are limited. A 1911 is an excellent choice because magazines would be universal and .45 Auto ammo should be easy to locate. Even during the ammo scare it seemed to be available even though it was somewhat limited. The last suggestion I have for a semi-automatic would be a Glock 19 or even consider a Glock 26. Most law enforcement agencies carry Glock 17/19 or have in the past and the firearm is very popular. The 19 will accept a 17 magazine and the 26 will accept both the 17 and the 19 although it looks a bit peculiar with the larger magazine. The 9mm ammo is a cinch to locate and should be plentiful everywhere in the US.

So let’s recap what I would suggest as a list of firearms which are easy on budget, reliable, and would serve you well in the event of a long term emergency situation.
-S&W M&P Sport (5.56/.223)- $600 or used $450+
-Mossberg 500 (12 gauge )- $300 or used $200 or less
-Ruger GP100 4″ (.357 Magnum) – $600 or used $450+
-Rock Island M1911 (.45 Auto) – $450 or used $350
-Glock 19 (9mm) – $550 new or LE trade in $300
If you have other suggestions, please let us know.

National Whiskey Sour Day

National Whiskey Sour Day is actually Thursday, August 25, but it popped into my brain today so I thought why not blog about it. Back in the day we consumed a metric buttload of whiskey sours and often the night would not end well mainly due to over consumption of alcohol and poorly made sour mix. In fact I’m not sure I’ve had a whiskey sour which didn’t come from a crappy plastic bottle purchased at a grocery store. Even out at bars it would be a Mr & Mrs T mix or some other off brand. I thought it might be good today, a few days out, to dive into what a good whiskey sour should contain. First and foremost it should have whiskey and preferably Bourbon. It doesn’t have to be top shelf, but shy away from the lowest common denominator. I think once we bought some off brand whiskey and nobody felt stellar afterwards so get something decent for the base spirit. The Liquor.com recipe is simply 1:1 lemon juice and simple syrup or to break it down further 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar, and 1 part water. Another recipe is 4.5 parts lemon juice to 1 part sugar, but their next recipe with simple syrup is 1.5 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar, and 1 part water. Another recipe uses a mix of citrus juice to end with 2 parts juice, 2 parts water, and 1 part sugar. And the final recipe for comparison is 2 parts lemon juice, 1 part lime juice, 1 part sugar, and 1 part water. So basically anything goes, but in the end lemon juice and sugar is the common denominator. After my experiences with sour mixed whiskey back in the day I might just stick with a Bourbon and skip all the silly mixing to celebrate the day. 😉

NC Residents We Will Need Your Help

Recently homebrewing came under attack in NC by overzealous ABC representation. They had the opinion that competitions and other activities happening outside of the home were illegal because they were not specifically mentioned in the statutes and policy. A plan is being created to change that moving forward to create laws which cannot be misconstrued and which will clarify the legality of competitions in the state. Please visit Operation Liberate Homebrew and join the OLH Facebook page to learn more. As things progress I will detail them on the blog and also how you can become involved to enact change!