Despite the recession, the specialty beer biz has grown, creating profits, jobs, and plenty of the sudsy good stuff. Though such a seemingly healthy industry might be an unlikely one for tax breaks, that's exactly what some members of Congress are proposing for companies that brew six million barrels of beer or less each year. The Boulder-based Brewers Association estimates the bipartisan Small Brewer Reinvestment and Expanding Workforce Act could save the more modest brewers $15.5 million (Denver Business Journal).

Colorado, for its part, boasts about 120 of the 1,700 craft breweries across the nation, including Left Hand Brewing Co., whose sales growth has allowed the company to purchase an 11,000-square-foot warehouse in Longmont (Daily Camera). And longtime favorite Boulder Beer is making swillers happy with news that it will be open on weekends (Westword). Meanwhile, the Colorado Legislature is dealing with yet another bill that would allow convenience stores to sell full-strength beer (Denver Post).