The June 7 small brewer Capitol Hill climb and additional BA member outreach has created increased craft brewery awareness in Washington, DC.  Two Congressmen recently visited breweries in their districts to discuss issues facing the industry. 

On Tuesday June 12, Congressman Steve Womack of Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District paid a visit to Little Rock and Diamond Bear Brewing Company.  During the visit Russ Melton, Owner and President, and his son John Melton, Operations Manager, talked with the Congressman about H.R. 1236 and how it would create jobs in Arkansas and across America.  Congressman Womack also toured the brewery and sampled several of Diamond Bear’s award winning beers.  At the end of the tour, Russ presented Congressman Womack with Diamond Bear’s latest promotional sign to display in his Washington office.

On June 15, Congressman Tom Reed of the 29th District of New York also visited one of his district breweries,  Southern Tier Brewing Company focusing on the importance of small brewer excise tax legislation.  Congressman Reed supports  H.R. 1236 as it is an important vehicle for job creation, not only for small brewers, but also for other local small businesses and farms.

Learn more about H.R. 1236, the Small BREW Act and its Senate companion bill, S. 534 in the Federal Excise Taxes section of BrewersAssociation.org.