The chief operating officer of Stone Brewing Co. has issued a statement in support of Alabama's local craft brewers, saying that any change to the state's alcohol laws should benefit smaller operations as well as large ones.

Stone, a major force in the American craft beer industry, is on Alabama's radar because it is planning to build a new brewing facility east of the Mississippi River. Its combined production, packaging, and distribution center could generate up to $100 million in revenues by year four, the company projects.

But Alabama's current alcohol laws make it essentially ineligible for the new project. The San Diego brewer wants to pair its new facility up with a restaurant, but the state's alcoholic beverage industry is governed by a so-called three-tier system, which prevents brewers from operating their own retail shops.

To address the issue, Sen. Dick Brewbaker, R-Montgomery, and Rep. April Weaver, R-Alabaster,

The bills would exempt brewers producing at least 25,000 barrels of beer a year from existing retail laws.

But that approach leaves out all the small craft breweries based in Alabama, and would essentially give an out-of-state transplant an advantage over locally-grown businesses.

Stone has not yet said whether it received an invitation to build from Alabama officials. But in a statement dated March 10 and printed on Stone letterhead, COO Pat Tiernan stood with Alabama's locally-based brewers.

"Stone Brewing Co. supports legislation that benefits

all

craft brewers," the statement said. The statement was distributed directly to members of the Economic Development and Tourism Committee in the Alabama House, and obtained by AL.com.

The committee had been scheduled to discuss the brewing bill at a Tuesday morning meeting, but that meeting was postponed. Rep. Alan Harper, the committee chair, explained that changing opinions on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board had necessitated a delay.

"The ABC Board continues to re-evaluate their previous opinion on HB 581 relative to its potential impact on the three-tier system," Harper said in an email to AL.com.

As it stands, HB 581 remains on the economic development committee's agenda.