I received this in my email today and I definitely want to get everyone to lend their voice to fighting these proposed changes that would negatively affect the craft beer industry in Montana.

“The Montana Department of Revenue is proposing an amendment to Montana’s Tasting Room already restrictive laws. The Department of Revenue is proposing to hold Montana breweries to the same rules as all beverage licensees which allows no consumption of alcohol after closing time. This means that, like bars, breweries around the state would have to have all drinks off the bar and all customers physically out of the building by closing time. However, unlike bars who must close by 2am, our closing time would remain at 8pm. The Department of Revenue is having a public hearing regarding the proposed amendment next Thursday, August 7th in Helena. This amendment would obviously be a huge detriment to tasting rooms around Montana so the majority of active brewers and brewery personnel are all traveling to Helena next week to oppose this amendment.”

Glacier Brewing has created an online petition that we are planning on presenting at the hearing. Here is the link for that petition:

http://www.petitiononline.com/MTTROP/petition.html

I encourage everyone to sign this petition and help the Montana craft brewers.