There is some good news and some bad news in the world of bottled beer in the South Sound. It is a matter of one good and two bad, but the good is very good.

The big beer news these days is that Tacoma Boys is looking at ways to expand its beer offerings from about 500 labels to another few hundred.

The Sixth Avenue grocery and produce vendor already offers one of the largest collections of bottled and canned beers found in the South Sound. It has about 50 feet of cooler space and is developing plans to add another 20 feet or so to span length of the shop.

“Beer is selling really well, and people are coming from far away to come here, so we could build on that if we could offer more beers,” says Tacoma Boys beer and wine buyer Donna Herren.

Herren is the queen to the Parkway Tavern’s beer brew guru Nick Brosier’s status as the king. I must say that to the best of my knowledge they have never met, but I see a beer challenge in the works.

All of this is good news for beer snobs. But here is the snag.

The expansion can’t go through until Herren can acquire the beers she wants and those her customers demand. The simple supply and demand model runs into strange rules in Washington. According to state law, one beer distributor can’t sell beer in another distributor’s territory, regardless of customer demand. Pierce County falls into a gray zone that doesn’t allow distributors to sell brews such as Flying Dog and Skagit River, even though customers locally are asking for it and taverns and beer retailers have gone so far as to drive to the breweries themselves to get the beer that can’t be delivered within the county because of the distributor’s non-compete rules.

“It seems like everyone’s hands are tied,” Herren says. “It is just a crap shoot of if you are going to get it or not. The customers are getting frustrated. I would love to expand our beer offerings, but we can’t right now because I don’t know if I will be able to get the beers I want.”

And Herren has more bad news: Mac & Jack’s Brewery in Redmond doesn’t have plans to bottle its beer. The tavern-standard is incredibly popular, which has prompted Herren to post signs on the beer stands telling customers to complain to the brewery directly since she is tired of people calling with orders to get the stuff.

“That happens every day,” she says.

In case you wanted to voice your thoughts on the Mac & Jack’s matter, send letters to 7825 N.E. 65th St., Redmond, WA 98052 or call 425.558.9697.