02/01/06 Micro brewers want beer commission

Washington Ag February 1, 2006 Washington may soon have a beer commission to promote the products of a growing micro brewing industry in the state. Both House and Senate legislative committees covering agriculture have now passed out bills authorizing creation of a beer commission. Jennell Pritchard, assistant head brewer at Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company spoke in favor of the legislation at a House hearing Tuesday. Pritchard: "And one reason we feel this is a bill important for the agriculture and the rural development of our state is that we use state products. And not just any state products. We use premium barley so that means that the growers are getting a better price for what they are growing. We also use 100% Washington hops." Pritchard said in the past there used to be just a few large breweries mainly in western Washington but she said now there are 82 breweries located all around the state providing jobs. Brewers would have to approve creation of the beer commission in a referendum. Funding for promotional events like beer festivals and beer tastings would come from a ten-cent a barrel assessment collected on a maximum of 10-thousand barrels per brewer. Bills creating a beer commission must still pass the full House and Senate and be signed by the governor but the micro brewers say they are in support unlike a similar effort about ten years ago when the industry wasn't unified. I'm Bob Hoff.