Who Will Drink The Cost Of Ending The Washington Brewer-Tax Exemption?

It’s that time of year when we talk about forecasts -- no, not the weather forecast, though we do have our fingers crossed for warmer weather. The Governor, the House and the Senate have all released their budget proposals and if the Governor or the House gets their way Washington brewers could be hit hard. The Governor’s budget would end a tax exemption for local brewers and increase the tax per barrel of beer sold in Washington state from $4.78 to $20.28. The House proposal wouldn’t hit brewers quite as hard but the tax paid per barrel would still be doubled. How would these proposed plans impact the micro-beer business and consumers? According to the president of the Washington Brewers Guild, quite a bit. Ross Reynolds talks with Heather McClung, president of the Washington Brewers Guild and the co-founder of the Seattle brewery Schooner Exact.