Many Oklahomans use tools similar to these to brew beer in their homes. Centered is a glass carboy, which the beer can sit in for up to a month after cooking the ingredients. Photo by Kory Oswald.

By Jack Chancey, The Vista Staff Writer

Oklahoma’s House of Representatives approved a bill that will give Oklahomans the right to brew up to 200 gallons of beer per year.

The bill was approved 79 to 16 on March 3 and will now go to the Senate for a vote.  It will be sponsored by Sen. Mike Schulz.

There is currently no federal law banning home-brewed beer and wine for personal consumption.

Oklahoma, Alabama and Mississippi are the only states that still outlaw home brewing of beer.

The author of House Bill 2348, Rep. Colby Schwartz, R-Yukon, said the current law is rarely enforced by state liquor agents and as such should be granted the same parity as wine and cider.

Oklahomans are already allowed to make wine and cider under current regulations but are not allowed to legally brew beer.

Debate on the floor against HB 2348 was led by Rep. Todd Russ, R-Cordell. “What’s next? California has marijuana legalized,” Russ said. “We complain people are making drugs in their houses right now, and yet we’re going to go and pass a bill that says this is not a bad drug.”

Russ also said home brewing could lead to more alcohol-related problems.

Schwartz countered by saying home brewers are generally responsible people.

He also mentioned that brewing beer is a lengthy process compared to running to the store for immediate consumption.

Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs, backed Schwartz by saying he thought Republicans stood for individual freedoms and that even our founding fathers were beer brewers.

“Sam Adams has a beer named after him,” Dorman said. “This is ridiculous. These people have this as a hobby.

They make their own product, and they share it with their friends.

This is one of those issues that makes us look stupid to the rest of the country.”

Home brewing has had a renaissance of sorts since the 1980s.

As new craft breweries open up across the country, people’s awareness of different types of beers has increased dramatically.

This has led to a grassroots approach in brewing beer.

“The ability to be as creative as I want is what has drawn me to home brewing,” Alex Bertholdi, UCO student and brewing hobbyist, said.

Bertholdi said he saves money when brewing compared to buying more expensive beers from the store.

Despite Oklahoma’s ban on brewing beer, beer supply shops have opened throughout the state supplying a growing hobby.

Chuck Stevens of The Brew Shop in Oklahoma City has seen a rise in interest over the past 10 years. “People who come into my store do not even realize it is illegal to brew here, and I’m not required to say anything about it.”