With the creation of the House Small Brewers Caucus in the United States House of Representatives, the small brewing community in America gained an extremely important forum in Washington, DC.

The Caucus was formed in 2007 by interested Members of Congress to gain a better understanding of all aspects of small brewing, from business and regulatory issues to the brewing process and history of the small brewing community. Co-chaired by Representatives Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon) and Dennis Rehberg (R-Montana), the purpose of the House Small Brewers Caucus is to provide elected officials and their staff an interactive opportunity to learn about the dynamics of running a small business as a brewery and the quality, process and value of craft beers and small brewing activities.

While small breweries share many of the same priorities and concerns that other small businesses have, brewing is a highly regulated business and has unique issues that most Americans are not aware of. The Small Brewers Caucus intends to provide information about the science and art of beer and brewing as well as relevant business, regulatory and societal issues.

The following are some areas that the Small Brewers Caucus will cover:

• Flavor and Diversity: What makes beer different
  • Beer as a food and beverage
  • Brewing basics: ingredients, process, quality control, beer flavor and character
• Savoring the Flavor Responsibly
  • Responsible presentation and enjoyment of beer
  • Responsibility to the American community
• Selling Beer
  • Consumer access to choice and quality—access to the marketplace
  • Retail
  • Distribution
  • Marketing and Advertising
• Small Brewers and Regulation – Accounting for the differences: Large vs. Small
  • Impact
  • Safety
  • Government and Agencies

To learn more about the Caucus, visit the official web site.

Recruiting Your Member to Join the Caucus

The Brewers Association strongly believes that every brewery member should contact their Congressman and ask them to join the ranks of the US House of Representatives Small Brewers Caucus.  Make no mistake, we are facing an increasing drumbeat of new regulatory proposals affecting issues from labeling and advertising to food safety matters.  Additionally, the prospect of new legislation aimed at increasing excise taxes looms as a real possibility.  As part of the Caucus, your Congressman will be aware of, and educated about, the issues of importance to small brewers and will ensure that we have the strongest voice possible speaking on our behalf as federal officials consider action on excise taxes, labeling, food safety and any other issue coming before Congress that affects the small brewing community.

House Small Brewers Caucus Roster (as of July 20, 2010)

District   Representative       District   Representative
AL-05      Parker Griffith             MI-11      Thaddeus McCotter
AR-02     Vic Snyder                   MS-04    Gene Taylor
AR-04     Mike Ross                   MO-01    Wm. Lacy Clay
AZ-03      John Shadegg           MO-03    Russ Carnahan
AZ-05      Harry Mitchell              MT-AL     Denny Rehberg
CA-01     Mike Thompson         NE-01    Jeff Fortenberry
CA-02     Wally Herger               NE-02    Lee Terry
CA-06     Lynn Woolsey             NJ-07    Leonard Lance
CA-49     Darrell Issa                 NY-10    Edolphus Towns
CA-50     Brian Bilbray               NY-12    Nydia Velazquez
CA-53     Susan Davis               NY-17    Eliot Engel
CO-01     Diana DeGette           NY-22    Maurice Hinchey
CO-02     Jared Polis                 NY-24    Mike Arcuri
CO-03     John Salazar              OH-01    Steve Driehaus
CO-04     Betsy Markey              OK-03    Frank Lucas
CO-05     Doug Lamborn          OK-04    Tom Cole
CO-07     Ed Perlmutter             OR-01    David Wu
DE-AL     Mike Castle                 OR-02    Greg Walden
GA-04     Hank Johnson            OR-03    Earl Blumenauer
GA-05    John Lewis                   OR-04    Peter DeFazio
GA-12    John Barrow                 OR-05    Kurt Schrader
 HI-02      Mazie Hirono               PA-06    Jim Gerlach
 ID-01     Walt Minnick                 PA-07    Joe Sestak
 IA-01      Bruce Braley                PA-08    Patrick Murphy
 IA-02      Dave Loebsack           PA-15    Charles Dent
 IA-04      Tom  Latham               SC-01    Henry Brown, Jr.
 IL-12      Jerry Costello               SC-02    Joe Wilson
 IN-09      Baron Hill                     TN-09    Steve Cohen
 KS-03    Dennis Moore               TX-23    Ciro Rodriguez
 LA-05     Rodney Alexander       TX-25    Lloyd Doggett
 MA-01    John Olver                     VA-05    Tom Perriello
 MA-02    Richard Neal                 VA-08    Jim Moran
 MA-09    Stephen Lynch              VT-AL    Peter Welch
 MA-10    William Delahunt          WA-02      Rick Larsen
 MI-01     Bart Stupak                    WA-04    Doc Hastings
 MI-02     Peter Hoekstra              WA-05    Cathy McMorris Rodgers
 MI-04     Dave Camp                    WA-08    Dave Reichert
 MI-06     Fred Upton                      WI-02    Tammy Baldwin
                 

Note: To join the Small Brewers Caucus, your Congressman should contact either Ed Hill in Representative DeFazio's office (202.225.6416), or Eric Bierwagen in Representative Rehberg's office (202.225.3211).

Contact information for your US Representative can be found on the US House home page; enter your zip code information in the box at the upper left hand corner. Once you've identified your Representative and have the contact information for the Washington, D.C. office, please call, email and fax a request on your brewery's letterhead that they become a part of the House Small Brewers Caucus.

Sample Letter

Following is a sample letter you can use to recruit your Congressman to the Caucus.

Dear Representative ________,

I am writing to ask you to join the House Small Brewers Caucus, co-chaired by Representatives Peter DeFazio and Dennis Rehberg.

The purpose of the Small Brewers Caucus is to provide elected officials and their staff an interactive opportunity to learn about the dynamics of running a small business as a brewery and the quality, process and value of craft beers and small brewing activities.

While small breweries share many of the same priorities and concerns that many other small businesses have, brewing is a highly regulated business and has unique issues that most Americans are not aware of. The Small Brewers Caucus will provide information about the science and art of beer and brewing as well as relevant business, regulatory and societal issues, including:

• Brewing basics: ingredients, process, quality control, flavor and character
• Beer as a food and beverage
• Responsible presentation and enjoyment of beer
• Access to the marketplace
• Consumer access to choice and quality
• Marketing and Advertising
• Regulation – Accounting for the differences: Large vs. Small Brewers
  • Economics
  • Government and Agencies

The more than 1,400 American small breweries add a richness to our lives that extends beyond their local communities, contributing to a unique American “craft beer” culture found nowhere else in the world. Not only do small brewers provide the tangible benefits of employment and a strong sense of community service through charitable work, they also have a role in educating an ever-more inquisitive public about the history and traditions of brewing and the diversity of flavors and styles of craft-brewed beer.

To join the Small Brewers Caucus, please contact Representative DeFazio’s office (225-6416) or Rehberg’s office (225-3211).

Thank you for considering my request.

Sincerely,