Pints and Politics

Photos courtesy of Idaho Brewers United

 Idaho Brewers United bridges the gap between brewers and legislators

Story by Courtnie Dawson

Idaho has 105 legislators, 82 breweries, and one person trying to get them all on the same page.

Sheila Francis, life-long rule-follower, realized she was in uncharted territory when she arrived on the scene of her brother Mike’s brewery, Payette Brewing Co. Navigating the highly-regulated and vaguely-understood industry wreaked havoc on her nerves.

Can brewers do this? Is it legal to do that? How can we make this happen? Who knows? Not us.

The more Sheila learned, the more complicated things seemed to get. And not just for her; discussions with other brewers in the Boise area usually resulted in more questions than answers for all parties. The discrepancy between legislation and the brewers was a large hurdle for business-owners to jump.

“I like being a rule-follower, and it was too complicated to follow the rules,” Sheila says.

Discussions led to ideas, ideas led to plans, and with the help of a few local brewers, Idaho Brewers United was founded in 2012, with goals to advocate on behalf of Idaho’s craft brewers, big and small. 9 years ago, Idaho’s craft beer was still budding. But things have changed quickly.

“When we first started, there were less than 30 breweries in the entire state,” Shelia says. “Now there’s 82 and growing. Another one just opened this weekend.”

As “brewer” becomes a more common job title, the laws and legislation behind the alcohol industry are being recognized by its members as complicated, vague, and ultimately, outdated.

“Alcohol is a highly regulated industry, and the laws made in the 70s and 80s don’t work as well today,” Sheila says. 

Idaho Brewers United bridges the gap between the breweries and the Idaho government, bringing guidance, education, and understanding between both parties. The organization communicates with brewers, farmers, distributors, and other industry stakeholders to determine what needs should be prioritized, what messages need to be shared. Sheila then represents those interests to the Idaho legislation through education and advocacy. 

“Legislative session isn’t in everyone’s wheelhouse, so I’m here to represent at legislature, then communicate with brewers and work with them to make their voices heard.”

Despite the heavy stack of alcohol policies, Shelia admits that many legislators lack the intimate knowledge of a brewery, and the brewing industry as a whole. Without that experience, writing policy to fit the times is a monumental task consistently pushed to the back burner by other industries. But with the brewery scene becoming a keystone of Idaho agriculture, tourism, and hospitality, updates to the rules are critical.

“It requires a lot of educating [legislators],” says Sheila. “Once you’ve been in the industry, you forget how complicated it can be to an outsider.”

Education is paramount to Idaho Brewers United’s mission. Not only between brewers and legislators, but between brewers themselves. The complexity of the industry means brewers need to rely on each other to understand what they’re capable of and what’s off-limits. Idaho Brewers United brings together over half of Idaho’s craft breweries, as well as other industry representatives such as hop and malt farmers, processors, and distributors, and helps translate the legal mumbo-jumbo. 

Whether through events such as Destination Beer (now Destination Home for 2021) and Pints Up, or (now virtual) meetings and trainings, Idaho’s brewers are connecting and collaborating more than ever before.

“Working together for the law is one thing, but coming together as an industry has been awesome,” Sheila says. “The groundwork has been laid for a lot of things. Now new brewers are learning from seasoned professionals.”

Behind the scenes, there’s this balancing act between the private business interests, and the political sector interests. But on the surface, every decision, debate, and discussion is for you, the public, the consumers, the beer lovers of Idaho. From regional-scale distributors like Payette Brewing, to draft-only taphouses like Cloud 9 Brewery, the goal is to provide customers with the best experience, and demonstrate what Idaho beer is made of.

 “We want to get Idaho beer at the top of mind for everyone wanting to enjoy a beverage,” Sheila says.

The pandemic has changed many aspects of the craft brewing industry. Some changes have been opportunities, others setbacks. But Idaho’s beer lovers continue to give love to their favorite brewers, and take opportunities to support new ones.

“I’ve always known breweries were community centers. People have really rallied for their favorite breweries,” Sheila says. “But breweries still need your help. No one is operating at what they were pre-pandemic. [The industry] needs people to choose Idaho as often as they can.”