Posted: 06.14.2011

A fight brewing over beer in Wisconsin pits the growing market of craft brewers against a large, well-known brewer.

The proposal supposed by MillerCoors and the Wisconsin Beer Distributors Association combine the brewer's permit and wholesale and retail licenses given out by municipalities into one permit
under state control. It would ban brewers from purchasing distributors __ something
craft brewers say they might need later to avoid getting squeezed out of the market by large corporate brewers.

Jeff Hamilton, president of the Wisconsin Brewers Guild and Sprecher Brewing Co. in Milwaukee, says the big guys are trying to limit growth of craft brewers.

Tim Roby, spokesman for the Wisconsin Beer Distributors Association, says the proposal keeps Anheuser Busch from buying a distributor and only selling its own beer to retailers.

Dan Dettmers, with Gorst Valley Hops in Mazomanie says their growers are nervous about this policy too.  Dettmers says that right now Wisconsin produced hops are sold for a premium over other hops that would come in from the Pacific Northwest.  Right now, Dettmers says local craft brewers are willing to pay the higher prices because they see value in buying local.  Dettmers says growers are concerned this new policy direction could change all that and leave hop producers that have made an investment in land, vines and equipment - hanging.

Gorst Valley Hops and the Midwest Hops and Barley Coop sent a letter to Wisconsin legislators pointing out that the state uses over 1 million pounds of hops annually - all imported.  James Altwies, president of Gorst Valley, says that this legislation would kill all potential for any of those hops ever coming from Wisconsin.

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