SALEM –

, a Latin mouthful commonly known as brewer's yeast, could become the official state microbe, joining the ranks of the beaver, western meadowlark and the thunderegg as an official state symbol.

, brought the idea to the Legislature as a way to celebrate the state's microbrew movement. His district is home to some of the state's most popular breweries.

But naming an official state anything isn't as easy as it sounds.

on its way to a designation as the state's official dirt, and a

Johnson presented his idea to the House Rules Committee Wednesday, with a pair of brewers in tow.

"Oregon is regarded nationwide as ground zero in the thriving craft brew industry," Johnson said, pointing to Full Sail Brewing Co. of Hood River as an example of that industry's growth.

"They have spun off at least four other brewing companies within Hood River," Johnson said. "It's just an example of what this microbe has been involved in and led to."

But it was the tumultuous legislative history of previous state symbols on the mind of Rep. Vicki Berger, R-Salem, who sits on the Rules Committee.

"Is there any other microbe that anybody else likes better than this one that is in competition with your microbe?" asked Berger.

"I'm not aware of any other microbes that generate $2.4 billion for the state economy," Johnson retorted.

Berger was remembering 2009, when she spearheaded the attempt to declare the Marionberry the state berry. The blueberry people, the strawberry people, the raspberry and

all rebelled. And in the resulting rhubarb, lawmakers dropped the Marionberry.

Rep. Michael Dembrow wondered whether marking this microbe would touch off a fight between brewers of ales – which rely on Saccharomyces cerevisiae – and brewers of lagers, who use other varieties.

Ian Croxall, owner of

, allayed those fears.

"Ale yeast is the type of yeast that is used in the majority of the ales brewed by the Oregon craft brewing industry," Croxall said. "I don't believe there are any lager brewers, including myself, who would be offended at acknowledging Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the predominant yeast for brewing."

If Johnson's House Concurrent Resolution 12 makes its way to Gov. John Kitzhaber's desk quickly enough, Oregon could be the first state to identify an official microbe.

In 2010, a bill designating

, a key ingredient in cheddar, as Wisconsin's official microbe passed the state Assembly but died in the Senate. Earlier this year, the Hawaiian House passed a bill nominating Flavobacterium akiainvivens, which was discovered by a Hawaiian high school student on the Wikstroemia oahuensis, or "akia," a flowering shrub endemic to Hawaii. The Senate has yet to vote on the measure.

Johnson's bill passed out of the Rules Committee without opposition and will head to the House floor. Now the race is on to see whether the Beaver state or the Aloha state gets to claim first microbe.

Johnson said he likes the odds of Saccharomyces cerevisiae rising to the top.

"I don't think there should be any opposition."

--Christian Gaston