Brewers Association Presents Legislative Champion Awards

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Five members of Congress recognized for support of America’s craft brewers

Boulder, Colo. • July 17, 2018—The Brewers Association (BA)—the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers—is pleased to present its Legislative Champion Award to five deserving legislators. The award recognizes leadership, dedication and support of small and independent craft brewers.

The recipients of the 2018 Brewers Association Legislative Champion Award are:

  • Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO)
  • Senator Rob Portman (R-OH)
  • Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)
  • Representative Ron Kind (D-WI)
  • Representative Erik Paulsen (R-MN)

Senators Blunt and Wyden and Reps. Kind and Paulsen were original sponsors of the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA) bills (S.236, H.R.747), which recalibrated the federal excise tax for breweries and other alcohol producers. More than half of the U.S. Congress supported the bipartisan legislation, which had 56 senators and 303 representatives as co-sponsors. Senator Portman wrote and supported an amendment that resulted in the language from the bills being passed for a two-year period. Thanks to the efforts of these legislative leaders, America’s small brewers—operating in almost every congressional district in the nation—can reinvest in their businesses, employees and communities.

“The effort to bring meaningful federal excise tax relief to small brewers has been a decade-long initiative for the Brewers Association. We could have not achieved it without the leadership, passion and forward thinking from these five lawmakers,” said Bob Pease, president & CEO, Brewers Association. “Each understands the positive impacts small and independent brewers have on their local communities and our national economy. The tax relief for our brewers is palpable and we look forward to continued support from these lawmakers to make the two-year provision permanent.”

Five members of Congress recognized for support of America’s craft brewers

According to a recent excise tax recalibration survey conducted by the Brewers Association, breweries are utilizing their federal excise tax savings in a tangible way.

“Ninety-six percent of breweries responding to the survey found the lower federal excise tax beneficial to their brewery,” said Bart Watson, chief economist, Brewers Association. “More specifically, 70 percent indicated they would be increasing their economic development by purchasing new equipment, upgrading their tasting rooms and breweries, or moving to new buildings. In addition, more than half of respondents indicated they would be hiring new employees.”

More information about CBMTRA can be found at BrewersAssociation.org.

ContactAbby Cohen, on behalf of the Brewers Association, (646) 695-7044

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About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 4,000-plus U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup℠Great American Beer Festival®Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America®SAVOR℠: An American Craft Beer & Food ExperienceHomebrew ConNational Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer® magazine, and Brewers Publications™ is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association and the free Brew Guru™ mobile app. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The Brewers Association is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital/familial status. The BA complies with provisions of Executive Order 11246 and the rules, regulations, and relevant orders of the Secretary of Labor.