Homebrewers: It’s time to legalize home distilling in Michigan.

Right now, crafting your own beer or wine is protected under MCL 436.1207, but distilling even a single jar of whiskey for personal use remains a state felony. That needs to change.

The timeline has accelerated. The U.S. Supreme Court is officially taking up the historic challenge to the 158-year-old federal distillation ban, and legal experts expect them to strike it down. When the federal barrier falls, we cannot let archaic Michigan state laws keep treating responsible hobbyists like bootleggers.

We deserve legal parity. If you can cleanly and safely ferment a 5% batch of ale at home, an adult should be legally allowed to run a small-scale personal still without facing a year in prison and equipment seizure.

Contact your state representative today. Use the template below to demand state-level parity for personal distillation.

Michigan Letter template:

As a constituent and voter in your district, I am writing to ask that you consider sponsoring or supporting legislation to modernize the Michigan Liquor Control Code of 1998. Specifically, I am requesting that the state create a personal exemption for the home distillation of spirits for personal and family consumption, closely modeled after the long-standing homebrewing exemption found in MCL 436.1207(b).

This issue has taken on immediate urgency. On October 19, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Department of Justice v. McNutt, a case challenging the constitutionality of the 1868 federal ban on home distilleries. This follows a landmark ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which struck down the 158-year-old federal prohibition as an unconstitutional overreach of congressional taxing power. Given the current trajectory of the case and the clear constitutional issues identified by the appellate panel, legal experts anticipate that SCOTUS is highly likely to overturn the federal ban by the end of its term in summer 2027.

While the federal barrier is poised to fall, Michigan’s current framework remains ill-prepared. Our state currently mandates a strict baseline felony penalty for unlicensed spirit production under MCL 436.1901, unless a hobbyist applies for a "Qualified Small Distiller Certificate" and satisfies a rigid 40% local grain sourcing requirement.

Once the federal ban is lifted, continuing to treat hobbyists who make small batches of spirits for personal use as state-level felons will be an outdated, inconsistent policy. Our neighbors who cleanly and safely craft their own beer, wine, mead, or cider under MCL 436.1207 enjoy clear statutory protections to brew for their households, share noncommercial gifts, and participate in organized hobbyist clubs. Adults who wish to safely explore small-scale, hobbyist distillation for entirely noncommercial, private consumption deserve that exact same parity.

By proactively amending the Liquor Control Code to expand the home-manufacture exemptions to include small-batch spirits for personal use, Michigan can ensure its laws are clear, consistent, and ready for a post-prohibition landscape. This move will protect safe, responsible hobbyists from severe criminal liability while keeping commercial enforcement focused where it matters most: stopping the illicit sale of untaxed alcohol.

Thank you for your time, consideration, and dedicated service to our community. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.

Sincerely,

I'm a homebrewer in Lakewood Colorado, and this has been my 3rd year entering competitions. This past year I entered all but 1 of the competitions in the Front Range Homebrew Circuit, a circuit of competitions along the front range of the Rocky Mountains. I placed 10th in the circuit with 40 points from 22 medals. The point system is based on 3-2-1 scoring, 3 points for gold, 2 points for silver, and 1 point for bronze. Sure 10th place is not the best, but I did better than I ever thought possible, especially after a couple of back-to-back infections in the summer of 2025, where I almost stopped brewing altogether.

My intention with this write up is for knowledge sharing and transparency. So here is all of the data around the beers I entered into comps this year, the categories they were entered as, and how they scored. I know there is a lot of info here, but I hope it is helpful to at least 1 person. This is data I would have found interesting and helpful when I started entering comps a few years ago.

Competitions Entered

These are the competitions I entered this year. The National Homebrew Comp is not a part of the front range circuit, which is why it has N/A listed under points. I still wanted to include that here, as it was a competition I entered this year.

Next are the details of all of my entries, in the order of the date I brewed them. The scores for an entry are comma separated with a score from each judge in ascending order. Most of the entries had 2 judges, some had 3. For those unfamiliar with BJCP comps, the score is out of 50.

Festbier 2025 (October 1st 2025)

This was my first brew after a 3 month hiatus when I had those back-to-back infections in 2025. 72% Pilsner, 19% Munich I, 9% Vienna. Magnum and Hallertauer Mittelfrueh Hops. My first try at a Festbier, and I was really happy with how it turned out, a great beer to get me started again.

Yuzu Lager (November 9th 2025)

I made this beer for my local homebrew clubs quarterly challenge where the only requirment was to make a fruit beer. While it did not place in my club challenge, this beer medaled in all of the comps I entered it in. The fruit beer category can be quite challenging, you have no clue what other styles and fruit additions you’re going up against. This was entered with a base style of International Pale Lager. 100% Root Shoot Pilsner Malt, Cascade and Azacca Hops, 1.25oz of Yuzu Extract at kegging. This is the beer I am most proud of this year.

Mead (November 30th 2025)

This was a 5 gallon batch of mead made with Coffee Blossom Honey. It was split into 4 individual secondary batches for flavoring. This batch had an OG of 1.086 and FG of 1.000, using Cellar Science's FRESH yeast. - Dry Mead entered as MA1 - Dessert Mead entered as MC1: Back sweetened with the same honey to 1.037 - Ginger Mead entered as M3B: Back sweetened with the same honey and some ginger honey syrup to 1.015 - Smoked Mead entered as M4C: Back sweetened with the same honey to 1.013, Secondary with Oak Chips and Lapsang Souchong Tea.

German Pilsner (November 30th 2025)

This was brewed like a German Pilsner but without German Malt or Noble Hops. 100% Root Shoot Pilsner Malt, Chinook and Cascade Hops. This also won a Pro-Am with Sky Bear Brewing. When entered as German Pils category, there was no mention of corn whatsoever (because there is no corn in this beer). I decided to also enter this as the Historical Style Pre-Prohibition Lager. The judges then noted how it had a great prominent corny flavor, which is a known ingredient in that style. This taught me one of my key takeaways from this year. During judging having the style guidelines in front of you can change some flavors or characteristics in an entry, specifically when you’re expecting/looking for it.

Czech Dark Lager (January 4th 2026)

I did not brew this beer with the intention of it being a Czech Dark Lager. I also got my schedule wrong, so I kegged this when it had only been fermenting for 2 weeks, and didn't have a diacetyl rest. It started out super buttery, so I left the keg at room temp for 2-3 weeks to clean up with the little bit of yeast still in suspension, sure enough it cleaned right up! This beer was entered into multiple categories. Starting out with International Dark Lager, Czech Dark Lager, and Munich Dunkel. Then I got some feedback that it had similar qualities to a Baltic Porter and English Porter, so I entered it in those categories. The two medals I received were as Czech Dark Lager. This beer shocked me the most this year, got some pretty good scores in multiple different categories.

Coffee Kolsch (January 18th 2026)

This was another beer I made for a challenge my homebrew club was doing. We did a White Elephant gift exchange with ingredients that you had to brew with. The ingredient I received was a medium roast costa rican coffee. So I brewed a Kolsch, and added 4oz of whole bean coffee 2 days before kegging. The feedback I received from the club challenge was that the base style fell more in line with an American Blonde Ale than a Kolsch, which I agree with overall. When entered into comps in the spice/herb/veg beer category, the only one that medaled, was the one with a base style entered as Kolsch.

Helles Lager v1 (February 8th 2026)

This was my first attempt at a Helles Lager. I wrote this recipe after reading the Bavarian Helles book from the Classic Beer Style Series. Entered in comps as Munich Helles, Helles Exportbier, and the Historical Kellerbier category with a base style of Munich Helles.

West Coast IPA (March 8th 2026)

An attempt at a west coast IPA, 100% Root Shoot Genie Pale malt. Cascade, Centennial, Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe hops. I've never had great luck with IPA's in comps, but this was my highest score for an IPA so far.

American Lager (April 17th 2026)

I didn’t brew this with the intention of making an American Lager. There was no real plan other than to use ingredients I had at home, So I made a pale lager with 100% Root Shoot Pilsner Malt, Magnum and Hallertau Tradition Hops. This was entered in competitions as American Lager, International Pale Lager, and Czech Pale Lager. Scored best and medaled as an American Lager. So I guess I made an ok American Lager.

Belgian Tripel (May 2nd 2026)

I'm not the biggest fan of belgian beers, so I fermented this low, 65F, and under pressure. With the goal of reducing esters and phenols. I also swapped out candy sugar for honey, and entered this in Orpheus as a braggot. While I enjoy this beer, it has not done well in comps, and that's ok. I brewed this specifically as a belgian beer I would drink, knowing the reduced ester and phenol quality would more than likely reduce scores.

Vienna Lager (May 17th 2026)

This was an attempt to make a bare bones Vienna lager. 99% Weyermann Vienna Malt and 1% Carafa Special III to bump up the color. Hallertau Tradition Hops. Overall, I think I would make this again without the Carafa Special III, and opt for a decoction mash for added flavor and the color bump.

Hoppy Lager (June 7th 2026)

I was having a lot of fun brewing lagers, but I wanted something hoppy. So I dry hopped this pale lager with Amarillo/Azacca. Entered in the Mixed Beer Style category as an International Pale Lager style, stating the special process of dry hopping with Amarillo/Azacca so the judges knew what to expect.

Helles Lager v2 (June 28th 2026)

This was the second batch of Helles Lager I made this year. Made changes to my grain bill, but kept the hop schedule and water chemistry the same. I’m very happy with it currently, but still have room for improvement. This one didn't perform as well in Liquid Poetry Slam, due to low carbonation. Increasing the carbonation before bottling for RMHBC clearly helped!

Oktoberfest (July 26th 2026)

I spent most of the year brewing lagers, so of course I had to make an Oktoberfest. It scored vastly better as an International Amber Lager, than a Märzen. So while it may not be the best example of an Oktoberfest lager, it is still a great fall beer!

Stout (August 23rd 2026)

The recipe for this was an Oatmeal Stout. But it came out more dry than I was expecting. I decided to also enter this as an Irish Export Stout. Even though it scored higher as an Oatmeal Stout, it medaled as the Irish Export Stout.

Festbier 2026 (September 13th 2026)

This years version of my Festbier. I swapped the percentage of Munich I and Vienna malt from last years recipe, and also double decocted the mash. This beer was a little young to enter into competitions, but I went for it anyway. The 34B entry is a mixed style beer, listed as Festbier and Kellerbier. I was unable to use the Historical Kellerbier category, because it doesn't have an option for a base style of Festbier.

Key takeaways from this year

• The Power of Perception: Having style guidelines in front of judges can heavily influence how they perceive flavors. For example, my German Pilsner was noted for a "prominent corny flavor" only when entered as a Pre-Prohibition Lager, despite containing no corn.
• Category Flexibility: Don't be afraid to experiment with entering the same beer into different categories. My Czech Dark Lager medaled as a Czech Dark, but also scored well as an International Dark Lager and an English Porter.
• Scores Don't Always Equal Medals: In highly competitive or variable categories like Fruit Beer, a lower-scoring beer can still take gold depending on the flight. My Yuzu Lager won 1st place with a 41, but took 3rd in other comps with scores as high as 45.
• Small Adjustments Between Comps: Increasing carbonation on my Helles, made a massive difference in how the beer performed between Liquid Poetry Slam and Rocky Mountain Homebrew Competition.
• Brew for Yourself First: Even if a beer doesn't score well because it doesn't strictly fit the style guidelines (like my low-ester Belgian Tripel), brewing something you personally enjoy is always a win.

Yay hydrometer replacement 7826 has arrived… immediately dropped it and it smashed, I hate these things… that is all

I acquired some Michigan copper from a friend, and it is the best hop I have ever brewed with. where can I get more?

I recently ordered a Coopers DIY kit and a can of their stout mix since it seems better than the lager.

Doing some reading on it though it seems like they may not be the best? The equipment it's coming with seems good but should I be ordering grains and doing a mash myself instead? Also with those kits, do I just mix it all into the provided container and let it sit in a cool dark area for 2 weeks? After fermentation should I bottle immediately or will it get better sitting there longer?

Sorry if these are dumb questions just don't want to end up with 6 gallons of bad beer.

Sup yall, I’ve made 5 batches of wine over the past few months so far in 1-gallon jugs, and I haven’t experienced any contamination, despite only using OneStep.

Tell me about your first time that you realized your batch was contaminated!

Hey guys,

New into making my own hooch at home, so far I’ve made five 1-gallon batches, and want to hear your recommendations for different subreddits to become more knowledgeable about the craft.

Thanks!

You've had a week, what's your situation report?

Feel free to include recipes, stories or any other information you'd like.

Post your sitrep here!

What I Did Last Week:

Primary:

Secondary:

Bottle Conditioning/Force Carbonating:

Kegs/Bottles:

In Planning:

Active Projects:

Other:

Include recipes, stories, or any other information you'd like.

**Tip for those who have a lot to post**: Click edit on your post from a [past Sitrep Monday!](https://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/search/?q=Sitrep%20Monday&restrict_sr=1).

Hey guys i am new to brewing and i want to get into brewing my own beer always wanted to do that and i really dont know where to start or what the costs might me i have seen videos on yt but someone of them mention its quite dangerous , i would appreciate it if you could share any sources or links for safe and good brewing . Thanks in advance!!!!!

This is a bootleg remake of the unreleased Nintendo 64 version of Resident Evil 0, based directly on the playable demo shown at E3 2000 and TGS Spring 2000. In this early build, take control of Rebecca Chambers as she investigates the Ecliptic Express. The train has already fallen into chaos. You'll encounter a dying member of S.T.A.R.S. Bravo Team and meet Billy Coen for the first time as the horror begins to unfold. The project aims to recreate the atmosphere, layout, and key moments from that prototype as faithfully as possible. Expect classic fixed-camera angles, pre-rendered backgrounds, and the item-dropping system that was planned for the N64 version.