Tax Relief for Brewers Included in Legislative Package

Posted On December 21, 2020

The bipartisan deal on an end-of-the-year legislative package made over the weekend includes the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA), along with other COVID relief measures. Passage of CBMTRA will make permanent the reduced federal excise tax (FET) rate that has been in place since 2018, and will help Montana breweries avoid an $800,000 tax hike next year. Without Congressional action, the tax rate is set to double on January 1.

Montana Brewers Association Executive Director Matt Leow issued the following statement in response to the inclusion of CBMTRA in the package:

Today we raise our glasses to say cheers and thank you to Sen. Tester, Sen. Daines and Rep. Gianforte for cosponsoring this legislation and ensuring tax relief for brewers was included in the package. The craft brewing industry is facing unprecedented challenges, from reduced taproom business and weak keg sales due to COVID-19 to aluminum can shortages and increased can prices, but today craft brewers across Montana are celebrating news that Congress will deliver on the promise of tax relief for our industry.

 

Beer is bipartisan and so is providing relief to American businesses and workers suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic and its fallout. Making the reduced FET rate permanent and providing another round of funding for the Paycheck Protection Program will help these local businesses get through what’s looking to be a very tough winter for our industry.

Fall 2020 Newsletter

Posted On November 24, 2020

Summer Newsletter

Posted On August 25, 2020

Carry-out and delivery

Posted On March 23, 2020

Montana breweries offer carry-out and delivery options during COVID-19 stay-at-home order

Montana breweries are adjusting to the rapidly changing landscape created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Taprooms are closed for on-premises business, but breweries may continue to sell beer for carry-out, including curbside sales, and make home deliveries.

Closure orders in five Montana counties on Monday, March 16, were followed by Gov. Steve Bullock’s executive order on Friday, March 20, instituting a statewide closure. Then on Thursday, March 26, Gov. Bullock issued a stay-at-home order “to curtail the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Montana.”

Breweries that remain open are now relying on off-premises sales, utilizing privileges granted to brewers by existing law to sell packaged beer for off-premises consumption and deliver beer directly to the public. Gov. Bullock’s executive order maintains these privileges and temporarily allows and encourages breweries to offer “window service, walk-up service, drive-through service, or drive-up service.”

The Montana Brewers Association fully supports actions taken at the state and local levels to protect public health and slow the spread of COVID-19. Even before the closure orders from local health departments, local breweries were voluntarily closing their taprooms and otherwise adjusting their business activities to protect their staff, customers and the public.

“We are proud that our members are leading by example and putting public health first,” said Matt Leow, executive director of the Montana Brewers Association. “We are also very concerned about the impact this pandemic and the resulting economic crisis will have on these Main Street businesses that are so vital to our economy. It’s more important than ever for Montanans to support our local craft breweries.”

During the closure, Montana breweries are operating under the following guidelines:

• Taprooms are closed other than for off-premises sales of packaged beer.
• No more than five members of the public are allowed in the taproom at any time.
• Taprooms open for off-premises sales must practice social distancing (at least six feet apart).
• Beer orders may be placed by phone or electronically.
• Breweries may bring orders out to customers on the sidewalk or in the parking lot.
• Breweries may offer home delivery of packaged beer.

These Montana breweries are open and offering the following services (updated April 17, 2020):

Download a PDF file of the list.

We will be updating this list as new information is available.

For more information or to share updates, please email [email protected].