FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lance Gideon, Press Secretary
Lance.Gideon@iga.in.gov
317-234-9221
STATEHOUSE (Jan. 23, 2024) – A bill authored by State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) that would revolutionize collaboration between small breweries in Indiana passed the Senate with a bipartisan vote of 39 to 9 Tuesday, Jan. 23.
Senate Bill 205 would allow a small brewery to utilize unused equipment from other small breweries to meet demands and explore growth opportunities in the industry.
There are more than 200 small breweries in Indiana.
"The key word in the bill is collaboration," Alting said. "SB 205 would allow breweries throughout Indiana to work together and meet the needs of their fellow brewers if a brewery has limited capacity.
The idea for this bill came from Lafayette-based People's Brewing Company owner Chris Johnson, who told Alting it would be beneficial to use other brewing facilities to produce the company's Boiler Gold and Boiler Black beers during peak demand periods if People's is unable to keep up with the demand on its own.
"I believe this bill is a shot in the arm to help all small breweries grow and expand in Indiana," Alting said. "I am pleased that my Senate colleagues approved this legislation with such widespread support for these Hoosier businesses."
Johnson said he was appreciative of Alting's support of Indiana's brewing industry.
"This bill will further help Indiana's small breweries with the ability to work together and grow our industry," Johnson said. "By allowing small businesses to share resources and collaborate, we can stimulate growth for both local businesses and jobs. We can look to federal and other state legislation to see that this bill language makes sense."
SB 205 would also allow small breweries to work together on recipes for specialty and seasonal beers throughout Indiana, which would open new markets to these businesses.
The bill now moves to the Indiana House of Representatives for further consideration. To learn more about this and other legislation Alting is authoring this legislative session, click here.
State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) presents Senate Bill 205 to the Indiana Senate at the Statehouse Tuesday, Jan. 23.
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State Sen. Ron Alting (R-Lafayette) represents Senate District 22,
which includes Carroll County and portions of Tippecanoe County .
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
