With both the U.S. House and Senate in recess, Members of Congress are heading to their districts. On Monday, U.S. Congressman Jason Smith of Missouri took time to stop by Piney River Brewing during his district visit. Owners Brian and Joleen Durham led the Congressman on his first tour of a local brewery. They walked through the entire brewing process and explained the day-to-day operations.

As owners of an expanding brewery, the Durhams face challenges. Brian Durham explains to Congressman Smith, “Right now, everything we make we are reinvesting back into the brewery.”

The Small Brewer Workforce Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act (Small BREW Act), a recalibration of the beer excise tax, is a solution to create more capital for small breweries. This legislation would make it easier for expansion and local manufacturing job creation. The Durham’s asked Congressman Smith to consider co-sponsoring this legislation. The Congressman responded that he is in favor of reducing excise taxes for small breweries.

Visit the Government Affairs section of BrewersAssociation.org to see if your Member of Congress is co-sponsoring the Small BREW Act.