Update

Right, I'm on the ground in Seattle. But Bar prep starts shortly and the move is still in progress...

Let's just say updates will be spotty for a bit longer.

It's Legal to Move Homebrew in Washington!

Word on the vine is that Gov. Gregoire signed Senate Bill 5060 into law on Wednesday, making it legal to remove up to 20 gallons of homemade beer or wine from your house for tastings, competitions, and most importantly enjoyment outside the confines of your house. Hopefully this will pave the way for a robust new calendar of competitions and national events like the AHA conference.

No update yet (3PM EST) on the Washington Homebrewers Association website, but I'm sure hundreds of homebrewer thanks go out to Mark Emiley and the rest of the WAHA crew for all their work in pushing this bill through.

Washington Homebrew Bill Update

Washington Senate Bill 5060 has passed the Senate and is headed to the Governor's desk for signing. If you've got an inside link to Gregoire, drop her a line!

Not that the bill is particularly controversial.

Lake Chelan AVA Established / Paso Robles Westside AVA Expansion Revoked

Quick break from finals to post this.

Beginning May 29, 2009, the TTB will recognize another American Viticultural Area in Washington State. The new Lake Chelan AVA will cover 24,000 acres around Lake Chelan, and be nested within the current Columbia River AVA. Don't know much about its wine potential personally...the only time I've ever been to Lake Chelan was when we needed an abandoned desert area in which to film a Mad Max style car chase for a school movie project. No word on whether Thunderdome Chardonnay will be available anytime soon...

Secondly, the TTB has withdrawn its notice of proposed rulemaking for the creation of the Paso Robles Westside AVA in California. Without getting into it too much there appears to have been significant disagreements among Paso Robles' vineyards about both the name and geographic significance of the proposed AVA. The notice does give an excellent view into the sorts of commenting and considerations that go into establishing a new AVA.