G6: Can a student make alcohol as part of a science fair project?

The following is from an FAQ on the TTB website (Link: G6: Can a student make alcohol as part of a science fair project?). Maybe it's just the weather, but I found this extemely Kafkaesque, a complete injection of government into the private sphere, and a waste of my taxpayer dollars. Don't these guys have anything better to do?

G6: Can a student make alcohol as part of a science fair project?
Well, under current law and regulations, we cannot allow you to conduct experiments involving distillation of alcohol at your home.
As an alternative, Federal law allows us to issue a permit for an alcohol fuel plant, or AFP. Under this type of permit, experiments with alcohol fuels can be conducted at locations properly qualified with TTB.

Here's what has to be done:

· An authorized representative of your school (a teacher or other school official) must complete and forward an application form 5110.74 to us to establish a small AFP at your school.

· The experiment must be conducted at your school under appropriate adult supervision.

· The school official must tell us how long the experiment will last. They may allow for additional time in case your experiment is selected for additional competition or display at a regional or area science fair. And,

· The school official must describe the adult supervision that will be provided. We require this because we are concerned about the safety of children handling hazardous materials and using distillation equipment with alcohol-even with adult supervision.

These steps apply primarily to students who are in elementary through high school. Make sure your application is filed as soon as possible to allow enough time for us to process it. You cannot begin the experiment until we issue you a permit.

Application form 5110.74 and additional information are available from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, National Revenue Center, Spirits Unit A, 550 Main Street, Room 8002, Cincinnati, OH 45202-3263, 1-800-398-2282 or (513) 684-7150, ttbquestions@ttb.treas.gov.

Looks like the students will just have to do their distillation experiments at home!

What a mess of bureaucracy, though.

I am a science fair judge each January, and if a kid did a distillation experiment, we'd probably let it slide.

However, we had one year when a kid (with the help of his uncle) created some truly er "unusual" and generally illegal substances.......

Unfortunately, we couldn't let him advance to the next level, despite his initiative and entrepreneurial spirit!

I am a science fair judge each January, and if a kid did a distillation experiment, we'd probably let it slide.

However, we had one year when a kid (with the help of his uncle) created some truly er "unusual" and generally illegal substances.......

Unfortunately, we couldn't let him advance to the next level, despite his initiative and entrepreneurial spirit!

I've judged science fairs, too. If I ever ran across a situation like that, I would find it scandalous!!!

I'd have to insist on confiscating such a project!

Several years ago, one of my sons made wine as part of a science project, using a 1-gallon glass jug, fermentation lock, some frozen Welch's concentrate, sugar, water and yeast. He measured the specific gravity of the liquid over a 2-week period and monitored the clarity. He produced graphs of the data, etc. I believe the nuns kept the wine after the Science Fair. Another one of my sons did a similar experiment, only making bread dough, measuring the weight and volume of the dough as it rose.