So, they’re going to tell people not to share homebrew during seminars in the ‘commercial’ rooms?
Most likely have security at the front door. Does the CA law allow them to bring their own commercial beer into the banquet or does it need to be served by the resort? We used to argue with guests about that when I worked in the MA hotel business years ago.
There are 50 states, 50 sets of alcohol laws. The AHA needs to make the rules clear to the Conference attendees so it is understood upfront.
The banquet will have beers on the table from Sam Adams (if sponsoring again this year), so that will be a commercial beer venue.
I believe the seminars are on lunch break at that time.
Even though there are 50 states, I’m willing to bet there are at least 55-60 sets of alcohol laws.
I was referring to the practice of people bringing homebrew to seminars and the banquet for impromptu sharing. It was completely normal last year. There was a mix of commercial and homebrew being shared at our table at the banquet. If this isn’t legally allowed in CA, I expect that’s the law that was being mentioned as a hurdle that still had to be jumped to be able to hold NHC in San Diego this year.
Honestly, there are going to be a lot more than that. Generally speaking, there are federal and state laws which will get you to 51. That’s not even considering the local laws in states like mine, where there are dry and wet parishes/counties as well as lots of other local restrictions like blue laws restricting things further.
Yeah, the Federal laws, and DC which is sort of the Wild West.
I’m gonna go rogue here with my thoughts. This is the American HOMEBREWERS Association. It’s the National HOMEBREW Conference. If there’s a conflict between homebrew and commercial beer, 86 the commercial beer. I can live without it. I’m there for the homebrew, after all. I realize this viewpoint won’t be widely shared and sure, like everybody else I’d love to have both. But if having commercial beer is gonna limit access to homebrew, ditch the commercial beer.
Brilliant! If I were going, I’d say double hell ya!
Point of fact: Rogue is a commercial brewer. 
That being said, yeah. If I can’t share homebrew at a homebrewers conference seminar, what’s the floccing point?
Hell yes! 100% this! A resounding AMEN!!
If my opinion isn’t clear, I vote for homebrew over commercial.
This will be my first NHC. Will most people be bringing homebrew, or just those that drive in? I’ve flown with wine bottles and both times there were broken bottles >:( . So I’ve been thinking I wouldn’t be bringing any. Is there something I am missing?
Amen!! 100% agreed Denny & Marshall.
If we can’t have homebrew at the homebrewers conference, I won’t be going back in 2016. The best part about many things is the homebrew. The best part about the banquet is the homebrew. I will not be happy if I can’t sit with my Iowa/Minnesota/Oklahoma/Nebraska friends at the banquet and drink glorious homebrewed ciders/meads/beers.
I hope this is cleared up ASAP.
Yes! There will be homebrew. Its just that we are seeing another case of alcohol law dumb-assery. We can’t mix the two classes of beer.
So how does this work for the banquet? Right now I am imagining that there is no beer-sharing in the line to get in and there are security guards at the doors to take away our homebrew.
Mr. Glass? Care to weigh in?
It’s dumbfounding, the amount of dumb-assery…
I hope the laws for venue next year aren’t this screwed up. Where is that going to be again?
Mars?
Well damn…I better leave now to make it on time. 
Everyone please keep in mind that I was just expressing a fever-driven opinion. As much as I’d like it to be that way, it really isn’t practical. How could enough homebrew for the banquet be produced? There really is no choice but to have commercial beer and I’m grateful for the brewery sponsorships. However, that doesn’t change my feelings about the fact that this is a homebrew conference and there shouldn’t be limitations on bring the beer we make and that are the basis of the existence of the AHA. So, maybe the solution is we don’t return the conference to CA until things change?