Legislators visit Big Timber Brewing

It was great to see Big Timber Brewing owners Matt and Ashley Kwasniewski hosting West Virginia state legislators at their brewery in Elkins recently.

Members of the West Virginia Legislature were in the area for their June Interim meetings, where they explored economic development in Grant, Tucker, and Randolph counties. One of their stops was at Big Timber Brewing. The Kwasniewskis gave them a close up look at a small brewery operation, while also explaining business development factors and needs of the craft brewing industry in the state.

“It was a good meeting,” Matt observed. “Seemed like those who came were legitimately interested in what I had to say.”

One of the issues he discussed was the brewers push for loosening restrictions on ABCA license holders and Resident Brewers being able to officially collaborate on a beer. Currently, only one licensed brewer’s name may be listed on the beer’s label and the label may not contain the name of any other alcohol licensee.

Among other things they talked about was the importance of eliminating the property tax on industrial equipment used by small manufacturers. This would be especially beneficial to capital intensive manufacturers like small brewers. The visiting group included legislators, staff, and lobbyists.

Also joining in the meeting was Matt’s brother and sister in law, who operate the Charm Farm. They provided a charcuterie spread and talked about some law changes they would like to see affecting small farms and food producers.