This week's Beer Town column , which was in fact filed last week for the print deadline, is a tad out of date after t he deal that was struck on Tuesday between Georgia's craft beer and liquor industries and the state's wholesalers .
But the grassroots website I highlight in it may be a big part of the ongoing fight, with many of Georgia's brewers and beer lovers crying foul over the deal, and saying it's not real progress but merely the righting of some old wrongs .
The website is called GA Beer Laws and it was launched with the mission to create "a grass-roots political movement to modernize the Georgia beer laws."
The site is the creation of Keith “KP” Peterson, a longtime fixture on the Atlanta beer scene, who also runs the Atlanta Beer Discussion Group.
“Grass-roots movements have helped build this great country of ours because there is no stronger force than unity in purpose,” Peterson said, explaining the idea behind the site. “It is important for the legislators to hear from their constituents. Our opposition has money. We have the power to vote. We need to be heard in sufficient numbers to overcome the power of the opposition.”
Among the facts on the homepage:
Georgia is one of only two states where you cannot buy beer from a brewery.
Georgia has the same population as Oregon and Colorado combined. If Georgia had the same level of brewing jobs as these two states, we’d add 12,000 jobs and drop the state unemployment rate by 0.3 percentage points.
On the site, you’ll find synopses of past and current bills aimed at changing Georgia beer laws, links to people involved in the political process, along with legislators’ voting and campaign funding histories, and calls to action when it comes time to contact your legislator.
If you want to follow the thread of what’s happened with Georgia beer laws in the past, and what’s likely to happen in the near future, the news section offers links to articles and events.
Peterson was one of those angry and saddened by Tuesday's news. But today he was back to the grassroots business.
"This war was never expected to be won in a single year's battle," Peterson said. "The people have been fighting for better beer laws since the '90s when a grassroots effort, Georgians for World Class Beer, led by Mark Nelson and Ted Hull, pushed to raise the allowed limit on beer from a restrictive 6-percent to the current limit of 14-percent.
"That small change, which largely benefitted the wholesalers by allowing them to import more beers into Georgia, took several years to accomplish. Real reform will take longer. This is an election year. Make sure you know where the candidates stand on these issues when you head into the voting booth."
Another voice in the fight, Taylor Harper, is an attorney and beer enthusiasts who authors a website called Georgia Craft Beer Lawyer . Harper put up a post earlier today that outlines the bad points of the deal and then calls for litigation not legislation.
"Well, as I have said before, I think it is time to take the gloves off," Taylor writes. "It is time to get many of these issues before a judge. It is time to file lawsuits and declaratory judgments. It is time to get these matters out of the hands of politicians. And when the Department and the AG’s office is tied up in lawsuits (spending tax payer money), remember to kindly thank your neighborhood beer wholesaler and politician."
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