Homebrewing and the law in Washington

Homebrewing is legal in Washington, and as far as a lot of homebrewers are concerned, that's all they need to know about the law. But did you know that home brewed beer can only be consumed in the house of production? The only exception to this rule is that you can take up to 1 gallon from your home for exhibition purposes or an organized tasting or competition. That means you can enter a few bottles of your beer in a competition, but you can't (legally) take a 5 gallon keg to your sister-in-law's 40th birthday party. It also means that Washington will never be able to host the National Homebrew Conference since this restriction makes Club Night impossible.

Luckily for us, the Washington Homebrewers Association is working to change the law. Here is some information on the progress from Mark Emiley:

Just wanted to give a heads-up to everyone. Arlen has begun consulting with a few key legislators about our bill and they have begun drafting up an initial copy. Once we get our hands on it we will let you know. (If you are unfamiliar with our current laws, go to www.wahomebrewers.org/legal to find our current RCWs).

I'll be working on a generic statement that people can take forward and contact their legislator with letting them know that you hope they support the effort. We'd like to have a consistent story so when our statement comes out please use it (and also stick to it).

Overall, this is great news. The concept of the bill has been received warmly. We may need to muster up some funds so please start thinking about how much being able to legally transport your homebrew out of your house to share with fellow homebrewers and friends is worth to you. If we all chip in a bit, we can make this a one-shot effort and accomplish everything we need to in order to support our hobby. If you want to donate, you can send a Paypal e-check (no credit cards yet due to the fees) for Services/Other to wahafunds@yahoo.com. If you insist on using a credit card, you can send a Paypal donation (once again for Services/Other) to markemiley@earthlink.net. I'll pass the funds into the account. Just please indicate that it is for the WAHA Legislative Effort.

It may only be a few months before we break down the wall. Get ready for action!

Cheers,
Mark
WAHA Executive Chair