(KTRS) A fight is brewing over a Missouri proposal to allow beer-makers to lease coolers to stores to keep ales frosty.

The Senate passed the measure 18-14 Thursday, a tight vote and the minimum needed to send it to the House.

Sponsor Sen. Eric Schmitt says the bill would help consumers and the beer industry because it could mean more refrigerators to store cold ales. Craft brewers say it could give an unfair advantage to larger breweries, such as St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch.

A regional Anheuser-Busch official said the bill would help the entire Missouri beer industry.