NEW YORK – Craft brewers are hoping that before Congress adjourns for the November elections, lawmakers will vote on a bill that would reduce the excise tax on small-batch beer, thereby freeing up cash for expansion and hiring, Inc. reports.

Senate Bill 3339 and House Bill 4278 would lower the excise tax per barrel from $7 to $3.50 on the first 60,000 barrels of beer that craft breweries produce. For all barrels above 60,000, the tax would decrease from $18 to $16 per barrel (contrast this with large brewers who pay $18 for every barrel produced).

Opponents of the bills maintain that lower taxes could lead to cheaper beer and thus increased alcohol consumption.

"We're advocating for higher excise taxes, both as a way to help reduce consumption and as a way to help cover the incredible cost that every county and state has to bear for the health and societal problems associated with alcohol," said Michele Simon, research and policy director for the Marin Institute, an alcohol-industry watchdog, adding, "there's no evidence that cutting taxes will create jobs.”

The bills have so far managed to attract bipartisan support, with John Kerry (D-MA) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) sponsoring the Senate bill, and Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) sponsoring the House version. All agree that small breweries have the potential for creating jobs and stimulating local economies.

Indeed, a Harvard University study estimates that if the bills pass, they would create more than 2,700 new jobs within 18 months and an average of 375 new jobs a year for the next four years.

"There's not a small brewer in the country that wouldn't say, 'I really wish I could hire,' " said Dan Kopman, co-founder of The Saint Louis Brewery, which produces 40,000 barrels a year.