Beer News

New Regulations Proposed at Alabama Breweries

On August 2, the Alabama Alcohol Beverage Control Board proposed a change that would require breweries and brewpubs to record the name, address, telephone number, and date of birth of customers purchasing beer for off-premise consumption. Introduced as a means to help enforce the state’s existing daily individual transaction limit of 288 ounces, the proposal is opposed by Free the Hops, a local beer advocacy group, and the Alabama Brewers Guild as an invasion of privacy and an unnecessary burden on businesses.

Ancient Tablet Shows Mesopotamian Workers Paid With Beer

A clay tablet discovered in southern Iraq and dating to 3,000 B.C. offers proof that Mesopotamian workers in the ancient city of Uruk were given beer as part of their daily rations. Recorded in cuneiform, a symbol-based form of writing, the artifact depicts the transaction as an upright jar with a pointed base representing beer surrounded by a series of scratches indicating quantity.

The Beer Museum Debuts in Austin

The Beer Museum, a touring pop-up museum showcasing the history of brewing and an assortment of various artifacts (including a collection of 1,000 bottles and a beer jug from the 1600s), debuted on August 6 at Last Stand Brewing Co., in Austin, Texas. Founders Virginia and Matt Benavidez and Cameron Paxton plan to find a permanent location for the museum, which will have a bar serving historic beer recreations.

St. Louis Brewery Wins Dispute Over “Schlafly” Trademark

Efforts by conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly and her son Bruce to block The Saint Louis Brewery’s trademark application for its Schlafly Beer brand on the grounds that it is primarily a surname were dismissed by the US Patent and Trademark Office in August. The brewery, co-founded in 1991 by Tom Schlafly, Phyllis Schlafly’s nephew by marriage, began the trademark approval process in 2012. Phyllis Schlafly died on September 5. ■