The Charlotte Observer details how breweries act as “pioneer businesses” in certain areas of town, seeking buildings to renovate and reuse, and bringing neighborhood revitalization along for the ride.
Full article: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/development/article140415733.html
As noted back in January, Georgia’s craft beer breweries and wholesalers reached a truce, resulting in the new rules taking effect just in time for Memorial Day holiday weekend:
“The Georgia Craft Brewers Guild is deeply appreciative of the work the Department of Revenue did in getting these regulations written and approved,” Guild executive director Nancy Palmer said. “Today breweries across the state can now use social media to talk about where their products are sold, and they can charge whatever prices they see fit for their tour and tasting packages, including tours with to-go souvenirs.”
For now, Georgia craft beer fans will have to wait to get their growlers filled directly at the brewery. It remains illegal for Georgia’s 52 breweries to sell beer directly to consumers. Breweries, like liquor distilleries, must sell their product to wholesalers, who then sell it to retailers.
Original Article can be found here; thanks to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Georgia craft beer breweries and distilleries have reportedly reached an agreement with the state’s wholesalers in an attempt to avoid further battles over how these small businesses operate.
How did we get here? Last year, Georgia legislators passed laws to allow customers to purchase a brewery tour and receive “free” beer at the end of tour. Under that law, breweries would offer different tours at varying price points depending on the style and price of the beer offered. Two months later, the Department of Revenue responded with new rules, forbidding breweries from changing the price of the tours based on the type of beer offered. Local breweries were furious, accusing the Department of Revenue for giving in to the demands of the wholesalers. Since then, the brewers and distillers combined forces and been demanding sweeping changes to Georgia’s alcohol laws.
What are the terms of the truce? According to the deal, the Georgia Department of Revenue will issue new rules:
Members of the Georgia Brewers Guild don’t see this as a “win” for breweries right now, but others hope that it’s a tiny step in the right direction.
*Tip of the hat to GA Beer Laws; Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Charlotte news outlet FOX 46 interviewed Olde Mecklenburg Brewery‘s sales director about their decision to back out of the Triad market due to the NC law capping craft beer production at 25,000 barrels per year. Click here for the video.
Opponents of the current law claim that the annual 25,000 barrel limit abruptly cuts off small breweries’ abilities to grow, and does little to incentivize their investment in delivery trucks, kegs, and new employees. Once a brewery hits the cap, they are required to hand over distribution for ALL of their beer to a third-party distributor, thus third party would gain control over all sales, delivery, distribution and quality control during transportation (everything that matters to the Brewery), resulting in a loss about 30% of the brewery’s revenue and margin to the distributor.
Many breweries would prefer to engage a third-party distributor as their own business decision, and not be forced to comply with an arbitrary rule. While North Carolina is often cited to have the most “beer-friendly” laws in the Southeastern USA, there is still room for improvement. South Carolina limits breweries to selling 48 ounces of beer to consumers in a 24-hour period, while Georgia breweries have been fighting for over a decade for the mere ability to sell growlers.
The craft beer scene has exploded in cities like Asheville, Charlotte and Raleigh, creating jobs and adding to the tourism industry. Local consumers and beer fans alike could help to further convince legislators to update the law to meet today’s practical considerations.
See also: http://www.craftfreedom.org
The Queen City’s commercial real estate market continues to be thirsty for more craft beer!
Real estate firm Colliers International compared the growth of craft breweries in 29 markets and found that Charlotte, NC is among the industry’s fastest-growing areas in the country.
The Charlotte Business Journal article cites, “The survey showed Chicago had the largest craft-beer footprint at 1.6 million square feet of space, while Charlotte ranked 21st in size. But Charlotte had the highest growth rate from 2013 to 2014, with its footprint growing by 77%, much higher than the 20.7% growth rate for all markets.
According to Colliers, the Charlotte footprint grew to 167,624 square feet in 2014, up from 94,687 square feet in 2013. Today, the number stands at 229,281 square feet, according to the firm.
Asheville’s footprint ranked eighth in size overall but ranked first on a per-capita basis at 1.58 square feet.”
Several of Charlotte’s breweries can be found in the South End and NoDa neighborhoods, which offer older industrial buildings and warehouses capable of housing large brewing operations.
Charlotte’s largest craft beer maker, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, pulled out of its $130,000 investment in Greensboro, NC only one year after expanding into the Triad market.
OMB cites the reason for the retreat is North Carolina’s barrel cap on craft beer breweries: Once a brewery makes 25,000 barrels of beer in a year, it must turn over distribution to a third party. The brewery is opposed to the NC law, and has committed to staying under the 24,999 annual barrel limit, even though its brewery could potentially produce 100,000 barrels per year.
OMB’s founder stated they would preemptively pull out of Greensboro in order to avoid underserving its home market of Charlotte. “Every drop counts. It’s one of those laws of unintended consequences,” he adds. “It takes OMB from something that is growing every year as an employment and tax creator and puts us in a holding pattern.”
Demand for OMB’s beers continues to grow, but the current production cap limits the brewery’s ability to release additional varieties and seasonal brews.
Original article ran in the Charlotte Business Journal.
Additional details on current opposition to NC’s production limit can be found at CharlotteBeer.com.
photo credit: letloveguideus.com
Last October, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a new bill to permit beer bikes to operate on city streets. The bill became effective in January 2016.
Beer bikes are popular in several cities, as a riding tour with up to 15 people pedaling together on a single vehicle. Some municipalities permit riders to drink while they ride, while other cities only let riders pedal their way to different breweries to go have their beer tastings inside.
legal draughts 