BA Members Meet on Hill in Support of Small Brewers Bill; Participate in NBWA

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On the first day of November Brewers Association (BA) Chief Operating Officer Bob Pease lobbied on Capitol Hill along with BA members, Pat Conway of Great Lakes Brewing, Greg Hardman of Christian Moerlein Brewing and Jim Koch of Boston Beer on behalf of the small brewers excise tax reduction bill, HR 1236 (PDF). The group started the day with an early morning planning session with members of the BA’s DC Counsel McDermott, Will and Emery. Later the group met with Senator Rob Portman (R) of Ohio and then with Speaker of the House John Boehner.                

In addition to the two leadership level meetings, the group visited with six additional members of the Ohio delegation, including Representative Chabot (OH-R) who came on as a co-sponsor of HR 1236 this morning.

Additional meetings on November 2nd, included drop in visits to Representatives La Tourette (OH-R) and Stivers (OH-R), as well as Fudge (OH-D) and Austria (OH-R). Pete Johnson of the Brewers Association and Dan Kopman of Saint Louis Brewery (Schlafly) will be meeting with a number of NC delegates November 2nd and 3rd.

HR 1236 picked up 4 new co-sponsors on November 2nd reaching a current total of 134 surpassing the total of last congresses’ HR4278, which also set out to create American jobs by reducing the burden small American brewers pay on barrels of beer produced.

The visiting brewers were in the Nation’s Capitol prior to a Hill tasting event, put on by the National Beer Wholesalers Association, where BA members’ beers were on display. Brewers Association members who featured their craft beers included:

Allagash Brewing Co. (ME)

American Brewing Co. (WA)

Boston Beer Co. (MA)

Brewers Alley (MD)   

Brewery Ommegang (NY)

Deschutes Brewery (OR)

Diamond Bear Brewing Co. (AR)

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (DE)

F.X. Matt Brewing Co. (NY)

Florida Beer Company (FL)

Flying Dog Brewery (MD)

Flying Fish Brewing Co. (NJ)

Foothills Brewing Co. (NC)

Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery & General Store (MD)

Full Sail Brewing Co. (OR)

Fullsteam Brewery (NC)

Gordon Biersch Brewing Co. (CA)

Great Lakes Brewing Co. (OH)

Harpoon Brewery (MA)

Mad Fox Brewing Co. (VA)

Mother Earth Brewing Co. (NC)

Natty Greene’s Pub and Brewing Co. (NC)

New Belgium Brewing Co. (CO)

Old Schoolhouse Brewery (WA)

Pisgah Brewing Co. (NC)

Port City Brewing Co. (VA)

RJ Rockers (SC)

Rock Bottom – Arlington (VA)

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (CA)

Smoky Mountain Breweries (TN)

Stone Brewing Co. (CA)

The Saint Louis Brewery (MO)

Vintage 50 Restaurants & Brew Lounge (VA)