Two of my favorite things intersected this week: Beer and politics.
On Monday, Governor Kitzhaber signed Senate Bill 444 into law—this is the bill that rewrites the suddenly enforced state law that bans serving homebrew outside the home.
Until last summer, the state fair had hosted a homebrew competition for 22 years and homebrewers hosted numerous tasting events around Oregon. Then, in June, the state Department of Justice told the OLCC they had to crack down on outside-the-home homebrew competitions. The state fair canceled its event and legislators introduced three different bills to change the state homebrew laws.
Senator Floyd Prozanksi, who brews a Captain Nimrod Nut Brown Ale, was the chief sponsor of the bill that passed the House unanimously this month. Whatever their political differences, Democrats and Republicans can all agree that homebrew is good for Oregon’s well-being, I guess.
In addition to okaying competitions, the bill also eliminates restrictions on transporting homebrew and allows homebrew club members to participate in small-scale professional brewing at pubs.
So glad the state of Oregon spent all the money this must have cost to clear up a problem that didn’t exist before some lawyer decided he was smarter than everyone else.