By ELLIS GOODWIN

Staff Writer



He has been doing it illegally for years, but 72-year-old Don McKay doesn't believe brewing beer should be a crime.

The Rush Springs resident began brewing his own beer and bottling his own wine in his house since 1982, but this week McKay's hobby took another step towards legality.

House Bill 2348 passed in the House of Representatives with many votes and lots of controversy. Rep. Joe Dorman, D-Rush Springs, is a proponent for the law, and he feels that many conservatives were simply trying to block a measure they see as immoral.

"This is ridiculous,” he said. "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.”

Dorman said current state law prohibits brewing beer but allows individuals to make their own wine and cider.

Dorman is a distant cousin of McKay's, and brewing beer has been in their family for some time.

McKay still has some pieces of equipment his father used to brew "bathtub beer." He said his father's beer was a rudimentary liquid that contained alcohol but was not very good to drink.

McKay, on the other hand, is constantly trying different blends of barley, hops, water and yeast in order to find the perfect beer. Or, at the very least a good one.

"I don't know if a perfect beer exists," he said. "To me, it is all about being with good friends."

McKay's wife died several years ago, and his home brew keeps company constantly flowing in and out. He said his hobby has afforded him great companions that have helped him cope with the loss of his true love. McKay's wife died in 2008, months before the couples 50th wedding anniversary.

McKay has hosted a bevy of Rush Spring's social events, including numerous birthday parties and a party to wrap up the annual watermelon festival. He has served drinks to hundreds of people, but he has never taken a dime from anyone.

He gets offended when others try to buy him alcohol or give him money.

"I just enjoy company," he said.

In nearly thirty years brewing beer, McKay has only thrown out two batches. The only time he goes to the liquor store is to buy something to compare to his brew.

"I always end up liking mine better," he said.

And so do his friends. Jessie Brown, a long-time friend of McKay's, said brewing beer is one of the many things that his friend does well. Brown said he remembers drinking a White merlot that was the best wine he has ever had.

"It was like drinking gold," he said. "This man is the king, and this is the place that you can come and enjoy something that you can't get anywhere else."

McKay said it takes six to eight hours to brew a 5-gallon batch of beer, and alcohol content ranges between 5 and 7 percent. He said he looks forward to the law passing, but it doesn't change anything he has been doing for many years.

McKay is 72. He said two of his seven children have taken up the hobby, but his 27-year-old grandson Jason is in line to take over McKay's "man cave" brewery.

"If he doesn't, I'll be right here to do it," Brown said.