Show 165: Washington State Breweries Sue Oregon

Beervana Podcast

If a Portland brewery wants to drive a keg of beer across the river to Vancouver, WA and they have filed the proper paperwork with the state, they’re allowed to. The State of Oregon, however, forbids Washington breweries from doing the same. This rankled Justin Leigh, owner of Dwinell Country Ales in Goldendale, WA. He’s a lawyer, and he was pretty sure that didn’t pass legal muster. A few weeks ago, three breweries sued Oregon for the right to self-distribute South of the Columbia. Today we have Justin on the line, and we’ll talk to him about the lawsuit and the way protectionism hampers breweries’ access to markets.