Wisconsin – the “Napa Valley of beer”?  Sounds about right, if you take into account our state’s rich history of independent and unique brewing companies, our abundance of “beer geeks”, and the undeniable fact that man, we sure can brew (and drink).

But although we may already consider Wisconsin the holy grail of the perfect brew, how do we get others to take notice – and visit and spend some cash? Rep. Gary Tauchen may have the answer. His proposal, which he believes would revitalize beer tourism, calls to create a Wisconsin Beer Commission whose primary objective would be “marketing and promoting the state’s brewing industry”. This elite group would include representatives from both small and large brewers, as well as distributors and retailers. (Basically, so everyone feels they have equal say in all the goings-on and no fistfights break out. Beer folk are passionate people.)

This news has some craft brewers raising their mugs already. And why not? People may come for the beer, but then perhaps they’ll stay awhile longer for our awesome bike trails, interesting brewery tours, and of course, the cheese.

So, perhaps what we Wisconsinites have known all along – that there’s nothing better than a cold craft beer, a diverse cheese platter, and a good bike ride – will soon(ish) become a reality for tourists around the country (and dare I say it … THE WORLD). In the meantime, however, I suppose we’ll have to drink all the beer ourselves. Darn.