General Beer Related

I installed a new feature on the website. It's a recipe calculator and recipe/brew log storage database called BrewBlogger. BrewBlogger is free, open source software developed by a homebrewer named Geoff Humphrey. The software is pretty feature-rich and includes customizable databases of grain, hops, adjuncts and other ingredients, a full recipe calculator and other tools/calculators (bitterness, brewhouse efficiency, alcohol, strike temp, etc.). It allows you to create and store recipes, then import the recipes into a brew log to keep track of your brew session.

Check out the WSB installation of BrewBlogger here. You'll have to register as a user to use the calculator and logging features, but you can view recipes and brew logs that are already in the database without an account. To register, just click "Join" in the menu bar and follow the directions.

If you have any problems with the software or have a feature request or suggestion for improvement, let me know. I've already customized it a little bit to (I think) make the navigation a little more intuitive and I wouldn't mind tweaking it more if required.

Great news coming out of WAHA. Now we won't be breaking the law every month when we get together at meetings to sample each other's beer:

Washington Homemade Beer and Wine Makers,

Raise a glass of homebrew in celebration!

At 2:00 today Governor Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5060 in the presence of Mark Emiley, Tim Hayner, and Tom Schmidlin, the three founding members of WAHA. Starting July 26th (estimate) it will be legal to enjoy your homemade beer and wine in private, but as a community! This is a great day for homebrewing in Washington!

The wording of the final bill can be found here (link to pdf) but in short, by law, you will be able to finally LEGALLY take your homemade beer and wine out of your house to enjoy privately with your friends, family, and very importantly, organized events like club meetings (and of course competitions or exhibitions). The constraint on only judges tasting the beer or wine is gone and the impossible restriction on returning beers or wines from competitions is gone. Also, very importantly, the limit of 1 gallon has been raised to 20 gallons which will mean that transportation in kegs will finally be legal.

Thank you to everyone who made the calls and sent the messages. Thanks to everyone’s effort, we made this homebrewed bill successful.

Now that we are done with this effort, WE WANT YOU TO DO TWO LAST THINGS!!! First of all, none of this would have been possible without Senator Jacobsen agreeing to sponsor this bill and that wouldn’t have been possible without Arlen Harris helping connect us. Please take a minute to either call (360) 786-7690) or e-mail (http://www1.leg.wa.gov/senate/Jacobsen) Senator Jacobsen and let him know how much you appreciate his sponsorship.

If you see Arlen around, please thank him for his help! (He always appreciates some good homebrew). Arlen has already helped changed the face of Washington craft brewing and through his help with connecting us with Senator Jacobsen has helped advanced our homebrewing community. Thanks, Arlen.

Also, more than likely your legislators voted for the bill (there were only three representatives who didn’t, you can view the bill roll calls here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/Summary.aspx?bill=5060&year=2009). Take another minute and call or e-mail them to let you know that you appreciate their support. By letting them know that the homemade beer and wine communities noticed, they’ll keep us in mind in future bills. They know we exist (and can be loud when we need to). Don’t let them forget.

Congratulations again on gaining a new right. The right to bear homebrew!

Cheers,

Mark Emiley

WAHA Executive Chair

Here's an update from WAHA on the progress of SB 5060, which will legalize transport of homebrew for private functions in Washington:

Washington Homemade Beer and Winemakers,

On Saturday, April 18th, the amended Senate Bill 5060 passed the Senate again
unanimously and now will be heading to the Governor's desk to be signed into
law. She can decide to not sign the bill or veto it. While we don't expect
this to happen, you can make one call or send one e-mail to help seal the deal.
Please call (360-902-4111) and/or write the Governor a message asking for her to
sign Senate Bill 5060 when it comes to her desk. (You can also call the
legislative hotline to leave a message at 1-800-562-6000).

You can send the Governor a message through this tool:
http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.asp

This really is the final step and we will officially be able to enjoy homebrew
and wine outside our houses starting July 25th (pretty sure of that date). Make
one last call to finish this up!

As always, you can find all of the current details at
http://www.wahomebrewers.org/legal
Cheers,
Mark Emiley
WAHA Executive Chair

Here is an update on Senate Bill 5060, which will make it legal to take homebrewed beer out of the house of production for private uses, from Washington Homebrewers Association:

Senate Bill 5060 passed the Senate UNANIMOUSLY on February 27th!!! Onto the House! We'll have details on the strategy forward soon! It'll just be some more calls and e-mails and we'll keep moving this forward!

Thanks to everyone for their hard work. We are halfway there!

Cheers,
Mark Emiley
WAHA Executive Chair

Here is the latest update from WAHA on the efforts to change Washington's laws regarding transport of homebrewed beer out of the home.

Washington homebrewers and winemakers!

Raise a pint, but get ready to raise the phone some more!

I am extremely happy to announce that after testifying in the Senate Labor, Commerce, and Consumer Protection Committee today, our homemade beer and wine transportation bill was supported unanimously and moved out of committee! Thanks to testimony by Mark Emiley, Alejandro Brown of Big Al Brewing, Bob Edmiston, and Kenneth Reister, we convinced the committee of the merits of our bill with no opposition!

We also received feedback that our approach of flooding the committee members with e-mails and phone contacts has helped us get an early hearing and quick passage! All of you who contacted the committee members, THANK YOU!!! You made this first step possible!
We will continue the effort by focusing contacts on the subsequent committees and legislators as the effort progresses.

The good news is that we are on a strong course thanks to everyone's help. But making a bill into law has a bunch of little hurdles. We will continue to guide you through them and help point you to the next area to focus on. Always check at www.wahomebrewers.org/legal for the current details.

Our next target: the Senate Rules Committee.
This committee is responsible for determining which bills are heard in front of the Senate. We need you to contact the members of the committee and ask them to quickly move Senate Bill 5060 to a vote on the Senate floor. http://www.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/RULE/members.htm

This is an "easy" contact. Just call and e-mail their offices and tell them your name, where you are from, and that Senate Bill 5060 passed the Labor, Commerce, and Consumer Protection Committee unanimously and that you want them to move Senate Bill 5060 (the homemade beer and wine transportation bill) to a vote on the Senate Floor. These contacts can literally take less than a minute.

Also, it will be helpful to contact the Lt. Governor's office with the same message (http://ltgov.wa.gov/contactLG.htm)

Here's the list! Go get them! If one of them is your Senator, PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY KNOW YOU ARE ONE OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS! Contacting them is your top priority.

Senate Rules Committee Members
Senator Rosa Franklin
Franklin.Rosa@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7656
Senator Mike Hewitt
Hewitt.Mike@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7630
Senator Lisa Brown
Brown.Lisa@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7604
Senator Tracey Eide
Eide.Tracey@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7658
Senator Karen Fraser
Fraser.Karen@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7642
Senator Mary Margaret Haugen
Haugen.MaryMargaret@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7618
Senator Claudia Kauffman
Kauffman.Claudia@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7692
Senator Karen Keiser
Keiser.Karen@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7664
Senator Curtis King
King.Curtis@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7626
Senator Chris Marr
Marr.Chris@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7610
Senator Ed Murray
Murray.Edward@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7628
Senator Linda Evans Parlette
Parlette.Linda@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7622
Senator Craig Pridemore
Pridemore.Craig@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7696
Senator Debbie Regala
Regala.Debbie@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7652
Senator Mark Schoesler
Schoesler.Mark@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7620
Senator Val Stevens
Stevens.Val@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7676
Senator Joseph Zarelli
Zarelli.Joseph@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7634
Lieutenant Governor
Lt. Gov Brad Owen
ltgov@leg.wa.gov (360) 786-7700

I know this list is longer than the one before. We still need to contact them all! Just work on a few at a time if you only have a little time but please try to work your way through the list.

For the latest updates, always check back at
www.wahomebrewers.org/legal
Keep making the contacts! Step by step we are making progress as a community! After this the next step is the Senate floor!!!

Cheers,
Mark Emiley
WAHA Executive Chair
PS. Please forward this onto your Washington friends and family for support.

Here's the latest from WAHA on the legislative efforts:

Washington Senate Bill 5060 Moving to Committee

Washington Homemade Beer and Wine Makers,

Our legislative effort to change Washington's homemade beer and wine laws is moving forward! We are continuing the fight to earn you the right to remove your homemade beer and wine from your homes legally and responsibly!

Senate Bill 5060 is currently scheduled for a public hearing in the Senate Commerce, Labor, and Consumer Protection Committee on Tuesday, January 20th at 1:30 pm in Olympia. There is a fairly good probability that the date may change due to the Inauguration. At this point we are unsure whether or not the hearing will stay on the same day or would be moved to the following day or rescheduled until later. For the current status of the bill, you can track its progress online at:
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/Summary.aspx?bill=5060&year=2009

When the bill DOES go to committee, we would like to ask any available homebrewers or wine makers who can take some time to come to Olympia to attend the public hearing and show your support. This is a huge investment in the future of Washington's homemade beer and wine producers and we want you to be part of the effort! If you can come down to support us, you can RSVP at the website below and we will update you as the schedule develops.
http://tinyurl.com/senatebill

What we need now is for people to contact the members of the Senate Commerce, Labor, and Consumer Protection Committee to ask for them to support Senate Bill 5060 through committee. You can just give them a call and let them know that you'd like them to support our community and Washington's brewing and wine making future by supporting our bill. For quick reference, here are their e-mail addresses and phone numbers:

Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles: (360) 786-7670, kohl-welles.jeanne@leg.wa.gov
Senator Karen Keiser: (360) 786-7664, keiser.karen@leg.wa.gov
Senator Janea Holmquist: (360) 786-7624, holmquist.janea@leg.wa.gov
Senator Rosa Franklin: (360) 786-7656, franklin.rosa@leg.wa.gov
Senator Jim Honeyford: (360) 786-7684, honeyford.jim@leg.wa.gov
Senator Curtis King: (360) 786-7626, king.curtis@leg.wa.gov
Senator Adam Kline: (360) 786-7688, kline.adam@leg.wa.gov

The current list of members of the Senate Commerce, Labor, and Consumer Protection Committee is at:
http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/LCCP/MembersStaff.htm
Their current agenda is at:
http://www1.leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/LCCP/Agendas.htm

Remember, all of the information you need, updates, and background material for our effort can be found at www.wahomebrewers.org/legal If you haven't done so, take a second to read the proposed bill wording here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2009-10/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Bil...

Thanks so much for everyone's support so far! Remember, contacts to your legislators is easy and makes a world of difference! Keep up the great work!

Cheers,
Mark Emiley
Washington Homebrewers Association Executive Chair

Here is an update on legislative efforts and a call to action for homebrewers in Washington to help get our laws changed from the Washington Homebrewers Association. See the earlier post for background on the effort to change the laws related to homebrewing in Washington:

Help Pass Senate Bill 5060 to Support Homemade Beer and Wine Makers!

Washington Homebrewers,

We need your help to change Washington ’s homemade beer and wine transportation laws. While current regulations allow production of homemade beer and wine, they prohibit transportation or sharing of homemade beer and wine outside of the house of production and limit the transfer to only competitions or exhibitions.

The current regulations make most homemade beer and wine events practiced in the rest of the United States illegal. Simple things like “non-competitive” tastings at a club meeting or taking a bottle of beer or wine to a neighbor’s house are essentially illegal. This hinders the progression of the homemade beer and wine communities in Washington .

The Washington Homebrewers Association (WAHA) is leading the fight to change the laws. We are encouraging people to contact their legislators asking for support of support Senate Bill 5060. This bill will change the regulations to allow for homemade beer and wine to be removed from the house of production to be used for private consumption or use in community events such as tastings, club meetings, conferences, and competitions.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

To be a part of the effort, go to: www.wahomebrewers.org/legal

You’ll find more information about the effort, background information on homemade beer and wine making, links to find your legislators, and everything you’ll need to help convince our leaders that passing this bill is a great change.

You simply need to send an e-mail and/or make a phone call to your three legislators asking for their support of Senate Bill 5060. Let them know about your experiences with homemade beer and wine and why you think supporting our community will be good for Washington . It just takes a simple message to help make this happen! Please go to the website today and get a hold of your legislators!

Pass the word on to other Washington brewers and wine makers. Please tell all of your Washington family and friends who enjoy homemade beer and wine about our effort and ask for their help too! More legislative contacts will increase our chances of passing the bill!

Thanks for your support of Washington’s home brewers and winemakers!

Cheers,

Mark Emiley

WAHA Executive Chair

mark@wahomebrewers.org

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

The winners of the 2008 Great American Beer Festival have been announced.

Big Daddy Don Spencer and the rest of the crew at Silver City Brewery took silver in the Old Ale category for Old Scrooge. Way to go Don!!!

Unfortunately, Washington doesn't seem to be very well represented on the rest of the winner's list. Pyramid won a few golds as well as Mid-size Brewery of the Year; Big Time won a gold in the Pro-Am competition; Boundary Bay took a Silver for their Oatmeal Imperial Stout; and Flyers took bronze for their Pacemaker Porter. That's about it.

Check out the beertown.org website for the full list of winners.

View Larger Map

We were contacted recently by a homebrewer in the Sequim/Port Angeles area who is trying to get a homebrew club started on the Olympic Peninsula. If you live in Clallam or Jefferson County and are interested in getting in on the ground floor of a new club, send us a note using the Contact page and we'll forward your message to the guy working on putting it together. Getting involved in a club is one of the most rewarding aspects of this great hobby, and a club on the Olympic Peninsula will fill a big void in the local club scene.