One Reason to Still Like Congress: The Small Brewers Caucus

 

To some, the Small Brewers Caucus (both in the House and Senate) might sound like a sneaky way for our elected leaders to score some free pints. In reality, the role they play in supporting the ever increasing craft beer economy is invaluable. While most battles are being fought at the state level, the importance of having representatives from every state supporting the growth of artisanal ales and lagers is greater than ever before.

Such representation has seemed all the more important of late since the re-emergence of The Small BREW Act (The Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act), brought back to the table after a certain multinational brewer’s need to jab the eyes of craft beer lovers during the Super Bowl. The Small BREW Act is supported by the Brewers Association and works to reduce federal excise taxes for small and independent brewers.

Another piece of legislation called The Fair Beer Act, effectively written by the macro-beer lobby (The Beer Institute) is primarily set up to ensure these multinational corporations get a slice of the pie as well. While to some that may sound fair, it makes no sense to us considering that a sizable chunk of these savings would be passed along to employees/employers outside the United States and further bolstering an industry that has been shedding thousands of jobs over the past 5 years.

What this all means to you and I, drinkers of Pumpkin Peach Ales, is just how important it is to encourage our senators to join up and support the fight in the Senate. While there are 142 members in 39 states promoting small brewers in the House of Representatives, there are only 25 members in 21 states doing the same in the Senate. The Brewers Association has a form letter and some guidance on how we can all take action to ensure those representing us are doing the will of the people.

Find out about all the positions the Brewers Association pursues on government affairs issues here and

learn more about the House Small Brewers Caucus and Senate Small Brewers Caucus.