Oregon tightens homebrew laws..

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RegionalChaos

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Don't know if you guys saw this or not:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...ROL-?SITE=ORMED&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Quote from the first paragraph:

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission's new interpretation of an old law has put homemade beer and wine in the spotlight, effectively banning judged competitions, home-brewing club tasting nights, and even the taking of a six-pack of home-brewed beer to a neighbor's barbecue.
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I just heard about it on the radio this morning.. I'm rather PO'd. I was just thinking about trying to start entering local competitions to get some feedback about my beer...
 
Okay. So do it.

Oklahoma JUST passed the law to legalize HB. It's not even in effect yet.

I have been brewing for nearly 4 years now and had carted HB to club events without so much as a hint of an issue.
 
Yeah I heard about this, I was going to enter my first brew into the competition and now it's been canceled because of this bogus interpretation. Hopefully it is taken care of soon to allow competitions to continue.
 
Look, guys, at this point it's getting worked on. It's a bummer for the rest of this year, but a group has been formed (Oregon Home Brewers Alliance) to get the law changed. We have a draft bill already, and several state legislators on our side. Even the OLCC has said they want to see the law changed! If you're interested in helping, keep an eye on the website at www.oregonhomebrewersalliance.org. We'll let you know when we have a good bill and who you can write to. The legislature doesn't reconvene until Jan. 2011, and we hope to get our bill introduced shortly after that.
 
jonbomb said:
*sigh* :(

They will control everything soon enough. :mad:
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This isn't a new law, and the OLCC has said they want it changed. A law legalizing homebrew competitions is pretty likely to be passed in the next legislative session.

"They" are moving toward less and less control in this area, really--remember it's only about 30 years ago that home brewing was illegal across the entire United States, and now even places like Utah, Oklahoma, and Alabama are legalizing it (or headed that way).
 
What good will that do? This law is at least 20 years old, likely more. It was probably written before there were such things as homebrew clubs and comps. The people who wrote it are long gone and the ones who are in office now want it changed. This is not a case of "the man trying to get us down". This is a case of an old law that simply needs to be changed.
 
Denny said:
What good will that do? This law is at least 20 years old, likely more. It was probably written before there were such things as homebrew clubs and comps. The people who wrote it are long gone and the ones who are in office now want it changed. This is not a case of "the man trying to get us down". This is a case of an old law that simply needs to be changed.
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Commissioners do the agency action (interpretation, rulemaking, enforcement) and are appointed by elected officials (presumptively). 20 years is not an old statute and how you want it interpreted is something you can impact at the polls.
 
triethylborane said:
Sorry to hear that.

Nevertheless, it is correct. Your state rep/sen would be interested in hearing about a liquor control commish ruling on a statute that negatively impacts upon a segment of the population with little potential to run amok of the police powers. They want to know, they want to help, because it is good for them to do so. They know helping you can impact their chance of being re-elected. How you utilize this opportunity is your choice, but it is certain they will never know your viewpoint unless you make it clear to them. And that a vote is on the line.
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I think Denny said exactly that. They understand and want to change the law but it just takes time.

The stupidest thing about this entire exercise is that it will take 6 months before a bill can be introduced. Another 1-2 months to pass it. And THIS is for a bill that is streamlined through.
 
lunchbox said:
How about vote out anyone that opposes our freedoms (not counting this stupid beer law)?

And this IS a case of "the man trying to get us down". It's just taking them this long to realize that have yet another means of controlling the sheep.
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Actually, this looks a case of "the man" trying to set us free. Several legislators are in support of liberalizing the law, and will likely vote to allow homebrew competitions in the next legislative session. In the interim, nobody's been prosecuted and people at the OLCC have said they're in favor of liberalizing the law.
 
As soon as Oregon figures out its losing tourist dollars, they'll fix the 'interpretation'.
 
malkore said:
As soon as Oregon figures out its losing tourist dollars, they'll fix the 'interpretation'.
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While I'm all for fixing the issue, I don't think that a law prohibiting homebrewers from transporting their beer to tastings is going to affect tourism. Tourists don't care.
 
The home brew and craft brewery culture in Oregon--at least in Eugene and Portland areas which make up a simple majority--are integral parts of our culture here. I currently live north of Eugene, but when I lived in Portland in 2003 there were more McMenamins brew pubs (just one company) than McDonalds. And that isn't conjecture, I used the yellow pages and checked :)

As quoted the statue is pretty clear, and as long as we fellow Oregonians get out the word this isn't some evil plot I'm sure it will pass. Laws take time, and that's usually a good thing. It's just frustrating when it is a new interpretation of an old law.

Anyway, I doubt this will affect the behavior of home brew clubs one bit.
 
lunchbox said:
Actually, the original law (which is what I was referring to) is a case of "the man" attempting to control the masses. The law was passed for a reason. It's just that society won't stand for it now, so they have no choice but to repeal it. But make no mistake, if this was were in place here in North Carolina, where craft/homebrew isn't as prevalent, they wouldn't be in such a rush to change.
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All laws are meant to control. Every one of them. But in Oregon while we may not be sensible about some things, we are pretty sensible about brewing. This will get fixed, and is in no way representative of any 'man' trying to 'control the masses', any more than speeding laws are.
 
lunchbox said:
How about vote out anyone that opposes our freedoms (not counting this stupid beer law)?

And this IS a case of "the man trying to get us down". It's just taking them this long to realize that have yet another means of controlling the sheep.
Click to expand...

I don't know how many times or different ways I can say it....NOBODY opposes changing the law to correct the issues. The people who made the law are no longer in office to vote out. IK realize you may have issues with the gov't., but in this case they're completely misplace.
 
Yeah, enjoying the weather on Bottom Loop road across the street from the mint field.
Someday I want to turn that building across the street from Coburg Pizza into a nanobrewery, it would rock :D
 
lunchbox said:
I've misplaced my displeasure with the government because the jackasses that made up the horrible law are no longer in power? I love how you think of the new jackasses as some reasonable group of politicians (as if there is a breed).

Like I said, if they thought they had a snowballs chance in hell of keeping this law, they would. They don't care about your rights, they care about your vote.

And if any of the current jackasses do anything to threaten ANY rights, they need to be voted out. It's not just about the stupid beer law... funny, I could have sworn I just said that a few posts up...don't know how many different ways I can say it.
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How bout I put it in terms that may translate a bit better. If Oregon legislators were serious about outlawing sharing home brew, it would be like North Carolina legislators outlawing the sharing of BBQ. This is a flawed law that will get amended. It's not a conspiracy, since lawmakers here enjoy the culture as well.
 
lunchbox said:
I've misplaced my displeasure with the government because the jackasses that made up the horrible law are no longer in power? I love how you think of the new jackasses as some reasonable group of politicians (as if there is a breed).

Like I said, if they thought they had a snowballs chance in hell of keeping this law, they would. They don't care about your rights, they care about your vote.

And if any of the current jackasses do anything to threaten ANY rights, they need to be voted out. It's not just about the stupid beer law... funny, I could have sworn I just said that a few posts up...don't know how many different ways I can say it.
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If you want to discuss why a government that acts based on what its citizens vote for is a bad thing, there's a political forum over here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f96/

As far as the on-topic discussion, the bottom line is that the Oregon politicians and civil servants both seem open to change, and they're working to pass a law allowing home brew competitions to take place legally.
 
lunchbox said:
I beg to differ. A job that gives power to control is more apt to draw the people that WANT control...
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You could use the same argument and say that breweries draw alcoholics - and who wants people who are blind drunk all the time making their beer? Seems to work out OK though.

We all notice the spectacularly bad examples of _any_ profession. The guys who designed the O-ring seals on the Challenger. The "family values" senator who frequents gay prostitutes. The rig workers and management of the Deepwater Horizon. The engineers who designed the Tacoma Narrows bridge. Fortunately such events are rare.

Most politicians, in my experience, try to do their jobs well. There are, of course, some notable examples of incompetence, megalomania and outright malice - but they are the exception, not the rule IMO.
 
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