Beer Institute, the oldest national trade organization representing the beer industry, launched StandWithBeer.org, an educational platform to "showcase the economic and social impact of the $409 billion American brewing industry, including its initiatives to promote moderate consumption and nutritional transparency. The platform also sheds light on how large liquor companies inflate their bottom line by exploiting loopholes in our tax code."

“Beer has always been an iconic part of American culture, and StandWithBeer.org is an unparalleled tool to teach consumers about the vibrant $409 billion beer industry while holding the liquor industry accountable,” said Brian Crawford, president/CEO of the Beer Institute.

“Our mission is to provide a comprehensive resource for consumers, the press and elected officials to learn about how beer is unique and provides more options and transparency to consumers than other forms of alcohol. StandWithBeer.org also exposes the tactics liquor companies use to exploit tax loopholes that allow them to lower their effective tax rate to the detriment of American consumers and taxpayers," he said.

"StandWithBeer.org will empower consumers to make more informed choices and have their voices heard. We invite all beer enthusiasts who make beer America’s favorite alcohol beverage to visit this platform and stand up for beer."

The U.S. beer industry supports nearly 2.4 million local jobs and contributes more than $409 billion to the U.S.  economy – equivalent to 1.6% of GDP. The beer industry pays more than $132 billion in wages and $63.8 billion in taxes. Nearly 2.4 million American jobs rely on a strong beer industry, including 92,159 brewer and beer importer jobs, 77,847 manufacturing jobs, 137,420 distribution jobs, 52,220 agricultural jobs and 979,805 retail jobs.

Brewers have long championed consumer transparency and launched the Brewer’s Voluntary Disclosure Initiative in 2016. More than 95% of the beer volume sold by Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors Beverage Company, Constellation Brands Beer Division, Heineken USA, and Fifco USA now voluntarily provides nutritional information, according to the results of an independent survey by John Dunham & Associates.

DISCUS Responds

“It's clear the beer industry is desperate after years of losing market share to distilled spirits," said Chris Swonger, president/CEO, Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. "Despite the fact the beer industry has for decades enjoyed significant distribution and tax advantages -- with a tax rate that is more than two times lower than spirits -- they are still losing consumers. It’s unfortunate big beer companies would stoop to the level of using misleading information to attack the spirits sector and its consumers, rather than investing in beer products that consumers actually want to buy.”