Free The Growler!
Remember a couple months ago when I wrote about how Minnesota’s beer laws were ancient? Well they still are.
Today Minnesota is the only state in the tristate area that has limitations on how much a brewery can produce. The current Minnesota law prohibits breweries that produce more than 20,000 barrels of beer in a year from selling take home packages of beer, namely growlers….why?
That’s a very good question but to semi answer that, the law dates back 100 years to prohibition. In 1933 when breweries were allowed to sell their product again there were stipulations like, No more tied houses (brewery sponsored bars) No more selling direct to customers, which how the three-tier system of regulation was created and of course the ban of selling alcohol on Sundays, which we finally repealed just recently….thankfully.
If you think those laws are silly I’ll add this one just for fun, The 60/40 booze to food sale ratio that requires restaurants to sell more food than booze….(which doesn’t work because craft beer is constantly rising in price since the 1983 ordinance was created.) The ordinance was originally put into place to prevent excessive drinking near residential neighborhoods. But today more and more small food/bar locations are opening up in areas that didn’t have the acceptance that it once did before.
So back to Free the Growler, yesterday I attended a press event with Minnesota House and Senate leaders (Kurt Daudt, Karin Housely, Jim Nash & Michelle Benson along with Lon Larson of Castle Danger Brewery and Dan Schwarz of Lift Bridge Brewing at the new second location of Lift Bridge Brewing in New Richmond Wisconsin, yes Wisconsin. The purpose of this event was to show what happens when Minnesota drags its feet with 100 year old laws that inhibit breweries from expanding which then lead the owners of such breweries to expand in neighboring states.
Many facts were mentioned about the current state of beer in Minnesota and how these laws need to be changed now in this time of economic recovery from the pandemic shutdown.
In my opinion, changing these laws would benefit every brewery in the state. It seems silly that every state surrounding us have seen the light on allowing breweries to expand to their fullest potential, not to mention all of the extra money that would generate for the state itself. It almost makes you wonder why some Minnesota breweries and legislators are against changing the law, are they getting kick backs with some cold hard ca$h perhaps? Hmnm.
I know that some argue it would hurt liquor stores, but really I fail to see that, it would definitely NOT hurt liquor stores, in fact it would bring more revenue to liquor stores with the capability to fill growlers on site in ways if a brewery collaborated with a store. I personally think the precious three-tier system would be disrupted and those who have deals with that system would not be making as much as they are now.
Right now the Wisconsin brewery sell direct to customer production cap is 300,000 barrels, which far exceeds Minnesota’s 20,000. Over there they can sell 12oz cans, 12 packs of 12 oz cans, crowlers, 750ml bottles, space shuttle sized fuel tanks of beer…ok maybe not but I wouldn’t doubt it. In Minnesota once a brewery hits production of 20,000 barrels the brewery can sell you ….a draft beer.
Right now the door is still open to change these laws, the goal is to get 20,000 supporters of changing these laws before May 17th! There are only 8 days left to the end of the current session!
Contact your state lawmakers now !!
#freethegrowler
Free the Growler
Minnesota Craft Beverage Council
Free Beer Bill
