Law could allow Ore. craft brews to be transported

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, told lawmakers on Thursday he would love to share some of his homemade beer with them, but because of a recent interpretation of an old Oregon Liquor Control Commission statute, that wouldn't be possible.

For years, craft brewers and wine makers flew under the OLCC radar. But after the commission received several questions last summer surrounding home brewing, officials at OLCC asked the Oregon Department of Justice to weigh in on a long-ignored statute. The DOJ's response: All homemade alcoholic beverages must be consumed where they're made.

County fairs were forced to cancel beer and wine competitions and home-brewing club meetings were postponed. On Thursday, the Senate's Business, Transportation and Economic Development Committee unanimously voted to send a bill, SB 444, by Prozanski to the Senate floor that would allow home brewers to transport their craft.

Christie Scott, an OLCC spokeswoman, said the commission is hoping for a change in the law, but only the Legislature has the authority to do so.

"The way the statute is written now, it doesn't allow for home-brew contests, and that's certainly not something we were wanting to do, shut down the home-brew contests," Scott said. "They haven't been a public safety concern."

Craft brewers throughout the state testified at the hearing about how important craft brewing has been to Oregon's economy. Prozanski pointed out that both the McMenamins brothers and Widmer brothers started out as home brewers. No one testified against the proposed legislation.

Dan Despotopulos, manager of the Deschutes County Fair, said he's hoping lawmakers can change the law soon so home brewers can prepare to enter the fair. Last summer was the first time in at least a decade, Despotopulos said, when local craft beer and wine makers weren't part of the fair. Overall, he said, the number of people overall who enter the craft portion of the fair, which includes crafts such as pies and photographs, has declined over the years. But the alcohol-related crafts have seen a rise in popularity.

"There aren't as many people doing as many crafts so to speak. You take another part of it away, and it hinders growth," he said. "The fair originally started where people were showing baked goods, their fruits and vegetables they grow. And I would like to see that aspect of the fair grow again. I think it's important to put back in."

Aaron Hofferber, president of the Central Oregon Homebrewers Organization, said the change of law has been hard on the club. The club has about 50 registered members. Hofferber said there are easily more than 100 craft brewers in Central Oregon. A big part of the group, he said, is getting together with everyone's batch of beer and giving feedback. Another important part is the ability to have professional brewers taste the beer, as some craft brewers are hoping to turn it into more than a hobby. Plus, there are the events and competitions besides the fair, which have also been canceled.

"We're really hoping this comes through very quickly," Hofferber said of the change in law.
 
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