Small Beer Caucus

The Small Beer Caucus of the US House of Representative celebrated its second year in existence by hosting an American Craft Beer Week Reception last week. Members of Congress, Congressional staffers and guests were treated to 19 different beer styles and food pairings from 23 Brewers Association member breweries.

Appropriately the Small Beer Caucus is rather small but these 34 members form an important voice in the House. As Charlie Papazian pointed out “There is a very real danger that the voice of the small members of the brewing community may not be heard over that of its larger brethren, so a group of legislators bound by a common interest in the history, tradition and excitement that are hallmarks of today’s small brewers, should help ensure our issues get fair consideration.” With a homebrewer, co-chair Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), at its helm I think that there's a good chance this caucus can meet Papazian's expectations.