Willcott, Rep. Awerkamp seek amendment to microbrewery law

A Holton microbrewer has teamed up with Kansas Rep. Francis Awerkamp to seek an amendment in the state’s laws that will enable brewers to engage in “contract brewing,” it has been reported.

Sean Willcott, owner of Willcott Brewery in Holton, is seeking an amendment that would allow brewers like himself to produce and package beer under contract with other companies, a practice that is allowed in other states and by federal law but not in Kansas.

Willcott recently told members of the Kansas House of Representatives’ Federal and State Affairs Committee that he is developing a microbrewery in Holton that will produce and package bottled beer for sale at the site and through retail liquor stores.

His aim, he said, is to bottle beer for others who do not have bottling equipment, which is not currently allowed by state law. That prompted him to work with Rep. Awerkamp (R-St. Marys) to draft House Bill 2470, which would allow microbreweries to brew and package beer for other microbreweries.

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