Caffiene and Alcohol and the proposed ban

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I will admit that I am one who initially thought the smoking ban in bars and restaurants was a good idea.  I will also admit that I have been on the side of some form of gun regulations in the past.  These are hard things to admit in the State I live and the people I hang out with, but I think it adds to what I am about to discuss.  I will say that I quickly didn't agree with the smoking ban once I researched the facts on it and I felt it should have been a business decision to ban smoking like many of the businesses in my town did on their own.  I also have come to understand the gun control side of things more and more when I put in perspective of my hobby, beer.  I would not want someone to take away my right to enjoy what beer I want to make or drink because some other idiot can't handle themselves.  I don't think we should legislate to protect the stupid.  I do believe in severe punishment for drunk driving and unlawful uses of weapons because those infringe on law abiding citizens rights but I am not 100% certain we should be proactive with laws that restrict the majority to prevent the minority from doing harm. 

That is where I generally stand, so the issue that has come to light in the last weeks regarding caffeine and alcohol mixtures has really got me going.  If you have not heard of Four Loko or the controversy it has raised here is an article to read.  Basically, it is a high alcohol energy drink, contains about 4 beers worth of alcohol and a ton of caffeine.  So that, in itself, is not that big of deal, mixing alcohol and energy drinks has been happening for a long time.  The problem now, is the news media has picked up the story and blown it up.  Teens have been dieing after drinking too much of this drink so that has people concerned.  Keep in mind, teens die from alcohol abuse everyday and I have yet to find a study that shows that there is an increase in binge drinking or teen deaths due to alcohol in the last year, in fact, teen drinking has appeared to decrease in the few previous years I could find info on.

Well, these deaths and close to deaths spawned a push to ban caffeine and alcohol premixtures from Senator Charles Schumer.  This push looks to be taking shape with an announcement from the FDA that this combination isn't safe to come soon and a ban to follow.  Why does this concern me, a beer drinker and beer maker?  Well, there are a ton of beers out there made with small amounts of coffee, chocolate and tea.  They appear to be banned along with this push.  So while most of us will never drink Four Loko or other awful energy/alcohol drinks, this ban spreads further than most expect.  The Brewers Association released their position on the matter yesterday to stop or alter the proposed ban.  Here is a quote from Charlie Papazian.

Brewers Association President Charlie Papazian stated, "Responsible brewers have successfully used coffee, chocolate and tea to add interesting flavor and complexity to their beers for decades. In fact, the Aztecs brewed a corn, honey and chili-based beer that contained cocoa. Many craft brewers build on these traditions today using coffee, tea and chocolate. On the other hand, the addition of artificial caffeine not from a natural ingredient source has no heritage or tradition in brewing. We support a ban on the direct addition of caffeine."

So now because of the media driving fear of binge drinking deaths we are at a point where brewing traditions could be altered and we take steps closer to returning to prohibition.  These types of things are exactly what those proponents feed on.  The kicker for me came this morning when reading that now, Four Loko, will remove the caffeine.  So now they will still have a high alcohol product on the shelf that irresponsible people can still drink beyond their abilities but now we may have lost the craft beer products with small amounts of caffeine in them. 

What I want you to do is educate yourself on the issues and understand the impact of what appear like minor law changes can have on you and your community and your hobby.  This is what I have done with the smoking and gun issues and I encourage you to do the same.  Contact the Brewers Association to find out how you can help and contact your Congress person and let them know your concerns. 

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