The meeting of the House Small Brewers Caucus scheduled for February 10th had to be called off due to the blizzard conditions affecting our nation’s capital on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. With airports cancelling flights into the Washington, DC area and Members of Congress unable to return from their districts, House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced the cancellation of all House votes for the entire week.
Brewers Association (BA) President Charlie Papazian and Programs Manager Pete Johnson, along with Rene and Matt Greff of Arbor Brewing Co. and the Corner Brewery, had been invited to attend a meeting of the House Small Brewers Caucus to discuss small brewer issues and to present educational information. With the introduction of House Bill 4278, the graduated excise tax reduction bill for small brewers, Caucus members and their staff were particularly interested in learn how this legislation would benefit America’s small brewers.
Rene and Matt, BA brewery members from Michigan with both brewpub and production brewery operations, had planned to give the Caucus an inside view of their history as small business owners, their operations and how a reduction in taxes would allow them to strengthen their businesses. Additionally, Charlie was set to speak about beer styles as part of a continuing effort to bring beer education to Caucus members.
Although a make-up date is yet to be confirmed, there’s no doubt that both the meeting and the educational opportunity will be rescheduled in the coming weeks.