Homebrewing in Washington

Here’s an interesting story I plucked from the OPB News feed:

[In Washington state] Home beer makers have to consume what they brew on their own property. Taking home brew across the street to share with neighbors is illegal under current state law.

The tiny exception is one gallon may be taken to a competition where only judges can drink it.

Democratic state Senator Ken Jacobson crafted a bill to allow homebrewers to take as many as twenty gallons of beer off their property for private non-commercial use. He says that change could lead to more microbreweries in Washington.

Learn something new every day: I had no idea the homebrewing law just to the north was so draconian. I’m quite sure while I lived in Spokane that I transported my homebrew off my property more than once, and many others did the same. Let’s hope they pass this bill will all due haste.

The article ends with a contrasting note about Oregon homebrew: as long as you don’t sell it, you can do what you want with it.

One comment

  1. Holy schmoly! I had no idea that this was illegal and wonder why it ever was. I just checked this site today when I read about a homebrewers victory in the Utah courts today. Thought I would check to see if we had any goofy laws about this and LO and BEHOLD!!! We do.

    The other day I was reading about how almost everything is illegal in China but they only enforce some of the laws when they want to get you for something else. One was a law that said you have to get permission to leave your village for any reason. Problem is there is no mechanism to get that permit so all of the millions of people that get jobs in the cities can get thrown in the can at anytime. (Keeps the wages down since all are illegal "aliens"..)

    Guess we have some laws like that, too.

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