Craft brewers in Georgia have a bill in the Georgia Senate that could change how beer gets from the small beer producer to the end user.

SB 163 would give brewers control of how their beer will be distributed and eliminate a limit on sales.  Right now in Georgia, beer can only be sold retail at the brewery or through a distributor.  Craft brewers in Georgia say that is because of the lobbying effort of the big boys in the beer business.

The big beer distributors don’t like the idea of small breweries being able to retail their own beer anywhere except at the brewery.  The Georgia Beer Wholesalers Association says, “Efforts to change distribution laws will weaken a system that offers safeguards for our youth, provides more than 5,000 jobs statewide, ensures a consistent revenue stream to state and local government, and, most importantly, guarantees thousands of choices of good beer on store shelves, at bars and in local breweries”.

Over the past decade, the number of small brewers in Georgia has grown from 45 to over 155.

The bill in the Georgia Senate is the result of a petition with over 7,000 signatures from Georgia residents who want to be able to buy craft beer in retail outlets.

GNN