(BozemanDailyChronicle) - While the battle between tavern owners and craft brewers has drawn plenty of attention during the 2013 Legislature, the state’s lesser known beer and wine distributors may actually have a greater economic impact in Montana.

Beer and wine distribution is a $239 million industry in Montana, according to a recent study by the Center for Applied Business & Economic Research at the University of Delaware.

“The beer distribution sector is a hidden gem that has been tremendously undervalued in previous economic reports,” said Bill Latham, who authored the report with Ken Lewis.

The study was commissioned by the National Beer Wholesalers Association, a national trade group, and examined the whole country, as well as each state.

Latham said the study’s economic estimates — which were based on U.S. Census and state industry data — were conservative. Still, the researcher’s figures showed the industry’s economic impact to be 40 percent greater than reported in prior studies.