Despite a national reputation for its local cuisine and “let the good times roll” approach to life, Louisiana is at “the bottom of the heap” in terms of the number of local breweries per capita.
That’s according to Cary Koch, executive director of the Louisiana Craft Brewers Guild, who says a thriving craft beer sector would provide an economic boost for a state that spends a lot of time and money promoting the local food and culture.
“When people come here, they are surprised by the lack of breweries,” he says. “That’s something that we need to talk about as far as economic development and tourism.”
Part of the problem, Koch believes, is a set of regulations “created decades ago” that don’t line up with what a 21st century brewery needs.
The guild supported Republican Rep. Gregory Miller’s resolution, HR210, which passed during the last regular session and asks the House judiciary committee to “study and make recommendations for legislation on the regulation of the craft brewing industry in this state and to report its findings to the House of Representatives prior to the convening of the 2022 Regular Session.”
After Prohibition ended, the American beer industry was divided into three tiers: manufacturers, distributors and retailers. While manufacturers generally must go through a distributor to get to the consumer, many states allow exceptions for small breweries. But Louisiana brewers must sign an exclusive contract with a distributor to get their beer into a given market.
The situation has brewers and legislators reconsidering what would best serve the state’s smaller companies, but discussions have paused. Read the full story from the latest edition of Business Report.
