Although the American craft beer industry continues to grow, that growth does not come without its own set of challenges for brewers and brewery owners. Current laws and regulations can make it difficult for small and independent brewery owners to reinvest in their companies, hire new employees and expand their business to keep up with the demand for their beers.
Luckily for the craft brewers in the U.S., there is a strong voice representing them in Washington D.C., fighting the opposition that limits small and independent brewers’ growth
Senator Tammy Baldwin, a member of congress’ Small Brew Caucus, has been a major part of the voice on this front. In February of this year, Senator Baldwin introduced the Small Brew Act to help these American businesses, but that’s not all that Senator Baldwin is doing. This month, she worked with Wisconsin’s Joe Katchever of Perl Street Brewery to better understand all aspects of brewing. Katchevers brewery is a strong part of the local community and is also a strong supporter of lifting the limitations that hinder the growth of craft breweries.
“All we want to do is get some obstacles out of the way that restrict the growth of our businesses, that were specifically designed to restrict the growth of craft beer by our competition, our international competition. Foreign owned beer companies have kind of put a lot of pressure on policy makers to limit the growth of craft beer,” Katchever said.
With the work of industry leaders like Katchever and the leadership of Senator Baldwin paving the way, we will continue to see growth in this industry. Follow their progress and read more about their effort to support small and independent craft breweries in “Senator Baldwin visits La Crosse brewery.”
To learn more about the Small Brew Act and how to quickly connect with your member of congress to show your support, visit BrewersAssociation.org.
Ben Zeller is a homebrewer, beer and food enthusiast, certified beer server and is the current Craft Beer Program Intern for the Brewers Association. He is also a new father, skier and currently a student at MSUD, anticipating graduation this December. He hopes to learn as much as he can during his time with the BA and continue his career in the craft beer world.
CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.
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