Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has enacted a temporary solution to the economic crisis in the state: Try and make everyone forget it exists via -- beer.
On Monday, Brewer signed a bill that allows Arizona microbreweries to brew twice as much beer as they are currently permitted.
At the moment, breweries are only allowed to produce a measly 620,000 gallons of frat-guy Gatorade, which according to local brewers is not even enough to give John Belushi's iconic Animal House character Bluto Blutowski a buzz.
"This is huge for us," says a manager of the Four Peaks Brewery in Scottsdale, who didn't want to be identified. "We hit our capacity every year and always want to do more."
The new law allows smaller breweries to make more than 1.2 million gallons each year, enough to possibly double their income and provide a small, but much needed, boost to the local economy.
The increase on the production cap for microbreweries is part of a string of booze-friendly bills signed by the governor in past few days.
What are you up to, Brewer?
Arizona is far from out of the woods in terms of "Economic Meltdown '09." Is the Governor trying to keep the public at bay with microbrews and boxed wine as she and the Legislature enter phase-two of this epic budget battle: Figuring out how to pay for everything?
I guess you could say the next few months are going to be busy for Arizona Brewers (pun intended.)
