$7K State Grant To Promote Beer Economy In Montgomery County

NORRISTOWN, PA — The state has awarded a $7,000 grant designed to help promote and expand the beer economy in Montgomery County.

The grant was given to the Montgomery County Planning Commission, and has been specifically earmarked for the "Bringing Brewers and Farmers Together" project. It aims to connect local brewers with local farmers.

“Brewing beer is an important industry to Pennsylvania’s economy that is growing," Gov. Wolf said in a statement announcing the grants. "These grants build on the bipartisan efforts to modernize our beer laws and support the industry to create job opportunities from the farm to the brewery, pub and grocery store."

Montgomery County's grant is part of a larger series of grants, totaling more than $705,000, to promote and build the beer scene across Pennsylvania.

The Planning Commission released the following statement on the news:

"There is regional interest in local beer (and the food that goes with it) as well as supporting the efforts of local brewers. Many of Montgomery County’s farmers are interested in branching out by selling to some of the new food and beverage businesses that call Montgomery County home. The state’s new PA Preferred Brews initiative is the perfect launch pad for these interests. We see this initiative as an important step toward strengthening Montgomery County’s role in the local brewing economy."

The state has been particularly invested in promoting the Pennsylvania beer economy lately, with the passage Act 39 in 2016. That created Pennsylvania Malt and Brewed Beverages Industry Promotion Board and funneled $1 million per year into a fund to promote beer in the state.

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