The Gourmet Beer Bill

My friends at Free The Hops have their bill introduced in both houses of the Alabama State Legislature.  Here is the anouncement from Free The Hops site:

The Gourmet Beer Bill has been introduced to both the Alabama Senate and House. This bill would raise the alcohol by volume limit on beer in Alabama to that of wine, making legal the sale of literally thousands of gourmet and specialty beers already legal in 46 other states and around the world. FTH asks that you contact your Senator and Representative today to ask them to Vote Yes for SB390 and HB530.

Here is the specific part of the Alabama Code that we are trying to change:

BEER, or MALT OR BREWED BEVERAGES. Any beer, lager beer, ale, porter, malt or brewed beverage, or similar fermented malt liquor containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume and not in excess of five percent alcohol by weight and six fourteen and nine-tenths percent by volume, by whatever name the same may be called.

Both versions are identical and you can read them here:

House Version: HB530

Senate Version: SB390