Kevin Murphy, Leader Correspondent
What the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has done for consumption of dairy products, A similar organization can do for the beer industry, says state Rep. Gary Tauchen, R-Bonduel.
The Wisconsin Beer Commission would promote Wisconsin-made beer. Under Tauchen’s plan, four members of the seven-member board would represent microbrewers, defined as breweries producing less than 300,000 barrels of beer annually, one would represent major breweries, and one would represent beer wholesalers. The commission also would include a chairman.
The commission would reflect the diversity of Wisconsin’s beer industry, which has 87 small brewers and two majors, Tauchen said.
Tauchen said the idea came to him when thinking about the state’s three most famous products: beer, brats and cheese.
“We created the Milk Marketing Board in 1983. Last year (the Legislature) changed rules to help export brats and other meats out of the state, but we haven’t done much to promote the beer industry,” he said.
Tauchen’s bill, Assembly Bill 856, brings the industry’s stakeholders to the table in an effort to make Wisconsin beer even more famous.
“This would be a vehicle to help market and to do research related to marketing beer,” Tauchen said. “It would be part of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, which works other trades.”
While the WMMB is funded from fees producers pay, the commission’s budget would be funded through beer sales at the Wisconsin State Fair.
Except for beer vendor stands, Wisconsin’s brewing industry has not had a presence at the fair, which Tauchen said presents a great opportunity to get information to out-of-state visitors.
The Wisconsin Brewers Guild, which also promotes craft brewing in the state, welcomes creating a beer commission, said Jeff Hamilton, a WBG board member and president of Sprecher Brewing Co.
“The mission of the guild is to promote and protect the smaller brewers in the state but there isn’t a central marketing force especially for smaller brewers in the state that effectively promotes their beer. This would give everyone a starting point to market,” Hamilton said.
Bill Tressler, owner of Hinterland Brewing Co., of Green Bay, also is a solid supporter of Tauchen’s proposal.
“Absolutely, the Wisconsin Brewers Guild hasn’t spent a lot of time on marketing, mainly on legislative issues. The commission represents an opportunity to promote Wisconsin beer as something special and unique and that we’re a region where good, quality beer is brewed,” he said.
Deb Carey, co-owner of New Glarus Brewing Co., sees the commission has an opportunity to help level the playing field in the Legislature between big and small breweries.
“Craft brewers don’t have lobbyists like others in the beverage industry. I wouldn’t say it’s a level playing field now, it’s difficult for small wholesalers or brewers to get started,” she said.
Carey also wants some regulatory certainty and tells that to legislators visiting her brewery.
“Each session has drastic changes in the way I do business, and that takes away your peace of mind,” she said.
Building a brewery is a “substantial investment,” costing at least $2,000 per square foot and those making that investment deserve some protection, she said.
The commission could also highlight the importance to the state of the $900 million micro brewing business, which supports more than 9,800 jobs, she said.
Tauchen said his bill has gone through three drafts before getting introduced this month, which is late in the current legislative session.
Instead of seeking a public hearing and passage of the bill, Tauchen wants more industry and public input before re-introducing it in January.