Richmond.com: New Laws May Brew Jobs in Craft Beer Industry
June 26, 2012
Read Nicholas Pitts’s article on Richmond.com on two new laws that go into effect on July 1 that aim to ease the barriers to entry into personal craft beer production in Virginia. Legislators hope the measures will expand the beer market and create employment opportunities.
Del. McClellan introduced House Bill 359, which allows start-up brewers to lease the equipment of full-time breweries. This means that fledgling brewers will no longer have to front the massive costs of buying brewing machinery. It will be much cheaper for them to rent the equipment from established brewers.
McClellan said HB 359 “wasn’t about beer initially” but more about the obstacles to starting up a small business. She believes the legislation will benefit everybody: Growth of the craft beer industry will mean more jobs, and consumers will enjoy a wider variety of Virginia-brewed craft beers.
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