In the News

EVERETT — What beer makers don't want, farmers do.

It's those soggy used-up grains, a by-product of the brewing process, that farmers relish as feed for their livestock.

Brewers give the grain away to those willing to pick it up. This practice, considered sustainable and environmentally responsible, has gone on for years without interference from government.

But a federal agency is pondering changes in how animal feed is handled, and brewers, farmers and federal lawmakers are worried it could seriously crimp, or even end, the long-standing practice.

As now written, the proposal drafted by the Food and Drug Administration implies that brewers and distillers would need to completely dry and package their spent grain before giving it to farmers.

“If they pass this it will put a financial burden on a lot of people,” said Shawn Loring, owner of Lazy Boy Brewing in Everett. “It will add costs to the amount of beer that you make and it will have an immediate impact on the price.”Brewers would need to buy and install driers capable of handling the large volumes of grain used in the beer-making process. And that could force smaller brewers out of business because the equipment is expensive and the power to run them isn't cheap.

“I can say without hesitation it would be markedly detrimental to have to go the route they talked about,” said Pat Ringe, vice president of brewing operation for Diamond Knot Brewing Co. in Mukilteo.

Brewers, farmers and their allies in Congress have been pushing back on the FDA proposal for several months — and it seems to have worked.
 

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