OMG! WTF, Oregon Liquor Control Commission?
After 22 years the Oregon State Fair has canceled its amateur beer competition. Scratch that: it’s been forced to cancel its amateur beer competition. Why, you ask? “A recent interpretation of Oregon State Law prohibits consumption of homemade beer and wine outside of the home,” according to the Oregon State Fair website. Their 30-year-old amateur winemaking contest is also canceled, thanks to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC).
“471.403 License required to produce alcoholic liquor; exception. (1) No person shall brew, ferment, distill, blend or rectify any alcoholic liquor unless licensed so to do by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. However, the Liquor Control Act does not apply to the making or keeping of naturally fermented wines and fruit juices or beer in the home, for home consumption and not for sale.”
Obviously that rule has been ignored for three decades at the Oregon State Fair, so why now? Apparently someone in Bend complained earlier this year about a different home brew contest that was happening there.
It’s not just the Oregon State Fair that should be concerned. How about those home brewers who take their beer camping? Or to their neighbor’s house for a BBQ? Or one of the many other brewing contests held annually?
OLCC explained themselves on their blog: “The Department of Justice’s guidance certainly requires us to look at the competitions in a different way than we have before. It’s completely understandable that home beer and wine makers would be disappointed. We know how important the home brew and wine competitions are for artisans and professional hopefuls. We expect a final analysis from the Department of Justice next week. Although we are hopeful that there may be some other way of interpreting this statute to allow these events to continue, we anticipate that the initial analysis will stand.”
According to the Oregon Home Brewers Alliance, 500 Oregonians are members of the American Homebrewers Association and close to 20,000 residents are or have tried home brewing. At competitions, the beer that is served comes in very small samples. It’s not like those contests are handing out growlers to judges for tasting.
If home brewers are shut out, brewers that started out in garages like Seven Brides Brewing would have a hard time breaking out into bars and bellies around the state. Due to this reinterpretation, events that are normally held are either being canceled or suspended until the next Oregon legislature is in session to change the law. But if something was ignored for 30 years, why couldn’t it be ignored until the next session where it’s likely to be changed? OMG! WTF, OLCC?
