Can we have cider too? I like cider.
Yay! The West Virginia legislature is considering a bill that would "promote economic development by encouraging growth in the state’s young craft beer brewing industry, through lower licensing fees and easing restrictions in current state law". - See more at: http://www.wvgazette.com/...
Considering that 1/3 of the beer that Costco sells is "craft" beer, it seems like a good thing to get into. Beer is more popular than ever, and beer-making is becoming not only a hobby, but a cottage industry nationally. Pennsylvania has over 100 small breweries, or 4 breweries per 100,000 people! West Virginia has only 11, but with the passage of this bill, tourists could expect to have a whole new reason to visit West Virginia. Beer is becoming a weekend destination: a search for "Beer festival" found over 50 festivals in the US in January! West Virginia, which touts itself as a tourist destination, should add this to its roster.
Of course, if our legislators are serious about bringing this positive development to our state, they're also going to have to address public perception of our water supply. Who wants to drink beer if it comes from tainted water? Whether it's from chemical spills,non-functional water treatment plants, selenium sneaking into the water from coal impoundments,or coal slurry from mountain top removal, you can't really blame beer fans from Washington DC or Pittsburgh if they're a bit suspicious of the water.
It's also interesting that breweries are a small but significant force behind support for the Clean Waters Act, one of those things that the typical West Virginian politician will tell you is trying to put our state out of business. Well, here is an industry that will depend on clean water, folks. What are you going to tell them when you vote against every single bill that protects our water?