Oregon Congressmen dominate 'beer caucus'
Monday, June 18, 2007 7:33 AM PDT
By Associated Press
Printable version
E-mail this articleTHE DALLES, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon congressmen say that beer is definitely a bipartisan issue.
The five Oregon members of the U.S. House of Representatives dominate the newly formed 34-member House Small Brewers Caucus, co-chaired by Democrat Peter DeFazio and Republican Greg Walden.
In the world of House caucuses, having co-chairs from the same state delegation is unusual, but, as Walden put it, "Yes, but if you have the best beer, you want the best co-chairs."
Oregon representatives are fiercely proud of Oregon's craft breweries, and with good reason. There are 1,300 small brewers nationally, with "small" defined as producing less than 2 million gallons a year.
"Oregon has been at the forefront of the movement," said Walden. "Our small breweries have about 11 percent of the market share in Oregon, which is the highest of any state."
Walden said about 38 percent of the beer made in Oregon is consumed within in the state, which has four of the top 50 microbreweries in the country: Deschutes, Full Sail, Rogue and McMenamins.
"That's from an industry that didn't exist 25 years ago," Walden said.
U.S. Rep. David Wu, a Democrat, agreed.
"Craft breweries are very special to the Pacific Northwest, like interesting bookstores and coffee shops," he said.
They also are considered a "value-added" agricultural product, turning hops, malt, yeast and water into a sizable variety of beer and ale varieties, from the palest pilsner to the stoutest stout.
U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley, also a Democrat, has some firsthand experience with one of those key raw materials.
"When we first moved to Oregon from North Dakota," she said, "we had heard about being able to pick berries and beans and hops. So our entire family went out to pick hops."
But she said they gave up after just one long day that netted the family only $1.25. "I'm really glad they now pick them by machine," Hooley said.
DeFazio has an even stronger connection with the industry; he's a longtime home brewer himself.
"Summers I brew IPA (India Pale Ale)," he said. "And I brew English ales in the winter."
As co-chair of the caucus, DeFazio takes a keen interest in the state's industry.
"I have a running debate with Rep. Mike Thompson in Northern California on who has the most microbreweries in his district," he said.
DeFazio has even persuaded Newport's Rogue Brewery to sponsor his state in the Capitol Hill Challenge, a six-week friendly competition between the House and Senate to see which side of Capitol Hill can walk more steps in an effort to promote a healthy lifestyle.
"We're the 'Brew Dogs,"' DeFazio said, a play on "blue dog" Democrats, a fiscally conservative group.
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