A bit of good news for home distilling

[subbrew]

That is good news. One one state starts other will follow. I would assume the feds would largely ignore home distilling much as they ignore marijuana sales in many states.

[BlueSasquatch]

How this would play against the Federal criminalization of it remains to be seen but, it is on the way to being legal in the state of West Virginia

Look to Missouri for your answer, it's been legal at a state level there, for quite some time. Also the marijuana legalization should give you some clues as well, as that is another product that is illegal at the federal level, but legal at the state level in a growing number of states.

[Deplorable]

Just my opinion but if it does pass, I don't think it'll be much different than Missouri in that so long as you don't sell it, trade it, barter with it or otherwise distribute it, the feds are going to look the other way. Start running afoul of the distilled spirits "cartel" and the goons are gonna push your shit in deep. IOW it's not going to change what's already going on across the country unless there is specific language in the bill that state and local LEO will not assist the apprehension, confinement, or prosecution of people making spirits for their own private consumption, it's strictly symbolic. Once you start selling, you're crossing commerce regulations and the feds are going to come calling.
I think it's much like firearms laws on the books in several states crafted to essentially thumb their nose at the BATF&E where firearms and firearms components manufactured and used strictly within the borders of said states are exempt from federal firearms regulations. Ask the boys in Kansas how well that worked out for them.

[Yummyrum]

50gal of spirit for one person for a year is insane . Even for a seasoned piss pot like myself .

And please , don’t mention Pot in this thread again or it will go .

[Ben]

50 gallons does seem generous, not sure I could drink a gallon a week with 2 dry weeks a year.

Actually, I am not sure I could even produce that much, I would have to ferment and run 3 times a week, every week.

Hopefully it happens, Colorado can't be far behind. As it stands now it's a slap on the wrist type penalty.

[LWTCS]

Any time a state moves forward for hobby distilling it's a good thing.
Everyone knows that it simply is not going to interrupt/ interfere with big likker sales.
Hell,,in my experience, it will only enhance sales for commercial spirits.

[Stonecutter]

Good news! Small waves turn to big surf. Hell, even Washington’s ole setup https://www.distillerytrail.com/blog/sb ... -virginia/ has been rebuilt and is in production. That should be enough of an example of American culture and heritage to turn the tide by itself!

[Truckinbutch]

Not much interest in liquor enforcement here as it stands . If this gets passed we will all breathe a sigh of relief .

[6 Row Joe]

Always good to hear. 50 gal/yr is quite generous. It's easier to get it passed in your state if other states have done it. Cheers!

[jonnys_spirit]

50 gallons of low wines, 50 gallons of hearts, 50 gallons of feints, 50 gallons of likker…. The more i think about it the less 50 gallons is!

Cheers,
-j

[Yummyrum]

You got a point there jonny . What do they mean by 50gal .
Mind you , I wouldn’t let those feints go to waste … no siree .

[Saltbush Bill]

50 gal @ 95% ? ........leaves a lot open to interpretation.......I wonder if the whole law has been thought out that well.?

[juana_b]

(50gal?) Therein lies the debate.
A law-abiding citizen can brew the legal amount of beer and doesn't have to omit part of their brew. We do.
Hopefully, the 50gal is final product.
Another issue: barrel or bottle strength?

[juana_b]

50 gal @ 95% ? ........leaves a lot open to interpretation.......I wonder if the whole law has been thought out that well.?

What? Are you meaning that the persons that are elected to office, don't know everything(anything) about a subject before passing laws?
I really think they should involve people with experience, in decisions like this. Just sayin'.
Totally agree with SBB.

[Saltbush Bill]

Of course not......I wouldn't do a thing like that..

[Bushman]

Was there a link to an article that was deleted referring to the good news>?

[GrumpyOldITGuy]

Was there a link to an article that was deleted referring to the good news>?

This article is thin on details, but sounds like West Virginia is looking to legalize hobby distilling:

https://wtov9.com/news/local/bill-passe ... rsonal-use

[BlueSasquatch]

50 gallons? Missouri allows 100 gallons. Now the particulars im not sure about, just know that the limit is 100 and that my folks just bought 50 acres in Missouri.

[Bushman]

Was there a link to an article that was deleted referring to the good news>?

This article is thin on details, but sounds like West Virginia is looking to legalize hobby distilling:

https://wtov9.com/news/local/bill-passe ... rsonal-use

Thanks

[Deplorable]

Was there a link to an article that was deleted referring to the good news>?

This article is thin on details, but sounds like West Virginia is looking to legalize hobby distilling:

https://wtov9.com/news/local/bill-passe ... rsonal-use

Thanks

I hope you have more ambition than I do to go look up the text of that bill.

[GrumpyOldITGuy]

Was there a link to an article that was deleted referring to the good news>?

This article is thin on details, but sounds like West Virginia is looking to legalize hobby distilling:

https://wtov9.com/news/local/bill-passe ... rsonal-use

Thanks

I hope you have more ambition than I do to go look up the text of that bill.

Absolutely not. I checked behind the sofa but my motivation wasn't there so I gave up!

[Ben]

It's almost certainly proof gallons. At the time of bottling one proof gallon is 100 proof at 60°. That's a standard legal measurement.

That makes it even more fuzzy. You could, in theory produce 550 gallons, put it all in 55 gallon barrels to age and not take a drop. According to the proof gallon rule you haven't produced anything at that point. And you would have an AMAZING smelling barrel room.

At any rate, it would be based on your logs... When I was brewing a lot of beer it is possible I was exceeding the 200 gallon per year limit for hobby brewers, but I lived on a big ranch and there were regularly people stopping in for beer. I didn't keep that good of track, and there was never more than about 40 gallons on the property, so who knows. It was going as fast as I could produce it. I didn't mind, I was getting a ton of practice and making excellent stuff as a result, cost was minimal and people were enjoying my craft. I would expect that unless you get caught selling, or buy a 7 bbl still without a license there isn't going to be much interest in how much you are making.

Really though, 50 gallons a year is enough. And the better people stick to it, the fewer problems come, the more likely it is for the legalization to spread and the limits be released.

[jward]

It sounds like reasonable cover for someone making liquor at home for their own and family consumption. I hope it spreads to other states until congress agrees too.

[MurphysLaw]

The text of the bill is super basic. It’s one paragraph stating that residents can make liquor at home for personal consumption. 100 gallons per calendar year for households with 2 or more people over the age of 21. 50 gallons per calendar year for households with only one person over the age of 21. No further details.

https://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Stat ... =RS&i=2972

Interesting that the bill passed the house in March 2021. The press releases coming out now make me think the senate will take the bill up soon.

Based on the text of the current WV law regarding production limits for micro and mini distilleries, which doesn’t specify proof gallons, etc, I would guess the final version of this new language won’t either.

Here’s hoping they can get it done!

[8Ball]

My guess is that this proposal would be an all inclusive limit of fermented liquids: beer, wine, and in our case: mashes & washes. So, 100 gallons of mash and/ or wash. I just don’t see 100 gallons of distilled spirit as a family consumption measure for legalization. Hell, that much would cause us to bust our own hobby limit rules.

[jonnys_spirit]

Well a west virginia family tree looks like a tall and skinny telephone pole and could be a bunch of em drinkin up that 100g/yr (i’m from around those parts from way back so know how it is). If they’re approaching that limit it’s either time to bust up the fam-damily a little or pay the gd revenuer.

[Deplorable]

My guess is that this proposal would be an all inclusive limit of fermented liquids: beer, wine, and in our case: mashes & washes. So, 100 gallons of mash and/ or wash. I just don’t see 100 gallons of distilled spirit as a family consumption measure for legalization. Hell, that much would cause us to bust our own hobby limit rules.

I must have missed in the rules that we can't make more than xxx gallons in a year. I thought the only limit was stills under equal to or smaller than 30 gallons.
Having said that, I can't imagine needing 100 gallons of of distilled spirits a year for personal consumption.

[HDNB]

50gal of spirit for one person for a year is insane . Even for a seasoned piss pot like myself .

LOL, that's almost a quart a day. i'm pretty sure that 50 gal could last a year, but the bigger question is: could you?

i guess if you had 5 gallons a year going on a 10 year aging program it would not seem to be that much.

[Truckinbutch]

50gal of spirit for one person for a year is insane . Even for a seasoned piss pot like myself .

LOL, that's almost a quart a day. i'm pretty sure that 50 gal could last a year, but the bigger question is: could you?

i guess if you had 5 gallons a year going on a 10 year aging program it would not seem to be that much.

There ya do .

[rickyaifd]

Was there a link to an article that was deleted referring to the good news>?

I posted this original article under a different user name as I had lost access to this one. When the admin's helped me to recover this user name, the other one and the article went bye bye.