Friends of Free The Hops,

Free The Hops is solidifying a specific action plan and starting to gain some real momentum. We recently had our first general membership meeting which brought new faces and new ideas into a very productive brainstorming session.

During the meeting, we determined three very specific short term goals for FTH:

1) Become intimately familiar with the inner workings of Alabama politics, and/or make contact with someone who is. Quite simply, our ultimate goal is to get legislation passed in Montgomery, and we need to know “how it’s done ’round here.”

2) Introduce truly great beer to as many Alabamians as possible. While there are more beer lovers in our midst than any of us realize, there are still far too many people in this state who simply do not know what they are missing on the shelves of beer stores here. They need to taste that missing beer.

And

3) Expand our membership as much as possible. First and foremost, an impressive membership roster will help give us credibility as we seek to make alliances with beer related businesses. But the money from memberships also helps us fund our operations right now. There are brochures, t-shirts, and business cards to be printed, a website to be maintained, and other PR work to be done. Winning converts and getting the word out requires money.

Regardless of whether you’ve become a member or you’d prefer to only subscribe to this newsletter for now, we need your help to accomplish the goals listed above. PLEASE reply to this email if you know someone or even “know someone who knows someone” who can help us with the political angle. We have started making some inroads, but the more paths we have available to us, the more likely we are to succeed.

We also need your help to turn more Alabamians into lovers of great beer. Be sure to share your good stuff with your friends who haven’t yet tasted the best beer the world has to offer.

And hopefully you’ll consider becoming a member if you haven’t already.

Membership has its benefits. You’ll get a t-shirt, a free copy of All About Beer magazine with a card for a discounted subscription, and the privilege of attending FTH membership functions. For example, we are currently planning a private, members-only party for late-May where we will share some great food and even better beer with one another.

And once again, props to Harry Kampakis. He recently won a silent auction for a private dinner with Governor Riley. The date for the dinner has not been set yet. His sole motivation for bidding was to discuss the beer laws in this state. The Governor doesn’t have a reputation for being a connoisseur of any form of alcohol, but Harry believes he will listen to the reasonableness of our cause. If we can convince the Governor that a change in these laws will help the state and not have any adverse side effects, then hopefully he will become a supporter and that will help us tremendously.

So if you haven’t already, become a member today and join us in our battle against oppression. Join the cause of freedom. And become an advocate for quality beer, spreading the good news about good beer to everyone you know.

Drink good beer. Free The Hops.