A group of Wisconsin brewers blasted open barrels of beer on the docks of the Milwaukee River in their own version of the Boston Tea Party.
They did this to protest a proposed bill they said would create complications for startup breweries.
The measure would divide small breweries into two licensed classes – those who want to serve food as brewpubs and those who seek to bottle and distribute their product on a larger scale. Startups would have to immediately declare which class they were in.
“Every business takes on a life of its own,” said Jim McCabe, proprietor of the Milwaukee Ale House. “For the guy that wants to start a brewery tomorrow, he’s got to make decisions early in his business life that aren’t possible.”
The portest was serious, and important to the future of small breweries in Wisconsin, but it’s OK to giggle for a moment at this line from the story:
“One tourist boat full of onlookers yelled ‘Beer!’ with a woman opening her mouth in a vain attempt to reach the fountain of foam more than 20 yards away.”
More discussion on the serious side of this odd legislation:
http://www.milwaukeeworld.com/blog/2007/07/brewpub-owners-to-protest-brewpub.html
This whole thing could have been avoided if our state reps. would actually read what is passed before them instead of blindly signing on the dotted line. How much do we pay these guys?