How will our current approach to child care and education affect the future of America? A producer of a new documentary series tries to answer that question by looking at the time, money and resources spent on early childhood education. We also learn how a state law is hurting craft brewers, and get the latest on the biggest stories in national politics.
Featured in this Show
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This Week In Washington – November 18, 2015
Harry Enten, senior political writer and analyst for FiveThirtyEight, joins Central Time for our weekly look at the most pressing issues in national politics.
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Wisconsin Law & The Craft Beer Industry
Some craft beer-makers say a provision in Wisconsin’s 2011 state budget is hurting small brewers in the state. We’ll find out where the craft beer-making industry is today and how it compares to the rest of the country.
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Looking At Early Childhood In The United States
A new documentary, “The Raising of America: Early Childhood and the Future of Our Nation,” explores how conditions faced by children and their families during infancy and the early years can affect a child’s future success in school and in life.
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Craft Breweries And Tavern League At Odds Over Who Can Hold A Liquor License
The growth of Wisconsin’s craft breweries has been lagging the rest of the nation. According to the latest numbers from the Brewers Association, the industry grew just 33 percent between 2011 and 2014 in the state, compared with 73 percent for the country overall.
For many craft brewers, it’s a sign that laws regulating whether breweries can hold a liquor license need to change — a stance putting them at odds with Wisconsin’s trade association for bar and taverns.
As it stands, if a location is designated as a “brewpub” — in other words, it only brews a limited amount of beer — it can hold a liquor license. However, if that establishment wants to expand into a “brewery,” it must give up its liquor license and the revenue that comes from wine and spirits.
“Basically, if you own a restaurant that has a liquor license, it’s hard to open a brewery now,” said business journalist Mike Ivey. “Conversely, if you own a brewery you can’t hold a liquor license.”
Ivey said many craft breweries depend on the revenue from adjacent tap room to stay in business, particularly when they’re first getting into business.
“If you’re not allowed to have a liquor license, it can cut into the amount of business that you can do at your tap room,” said Ivey. “For a guy just starting out, having a tap room where he can operate — in effect, have a bar along with his craft beer — can mean the difference between staying in business or going out of business when the margins are that tight.”
The current rules regulating the breweries were adopted as part of the state budget in 2011 and were backed by the Tavern League, which represents the bars and taverns that compete with breweries.
The idea behind the separation of the production and sale of alcohol actually dates back to the three-tier system that was adopted after prohibition. By distinguishing alcohol producers, wholesalers, and bar owners, the idea is that the state can then prevent a monopolization of the industry.
Ivey said the Tavern League is advocating for keeping that three-tiered system in place.
Meanwhile, despite the lower-than-average growth rate, craft brewing does not seem to be going away anytime soon in Wisconsin.
“Wisconsin still is real strong in terms of craft brewing,” said Ivey.
The numbers appear to bear that out: According to the Brewers Association, Wisconsin ranks 13th nationally in craft breweries per capita.
Episode Credits
- Rob Ferrett Host
- Veronica Rueckert Host
- Judith Siers-Poisson Producer
- Veronica Rueckert Producer
- KP Whaley Producer
- Harry Enten Guest
- Mike Ivey Guest
- Christine Herbes-Sommers Guest
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