Though there was a shadow of doubt until the final days, on May 5, Gov. Nathan Deal put his pen to SB 63, dubbed the "Beer Jobs Bill" by the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild .
During the signing ceremony in his office, Deal was surrounded by a group that included the bill's lead sponsor, Sen. Hunter Hill, and brewers Crawford Moran of Five Seasons , Chris Herron of Creature Comforts , Joel Iverson of Monday Night , and Nancy Palmer of the Craft Brewers Guild.
In the end, the legislation was a watered-down, even convoluted version of what the Guild really wanted — which was simply for its member brewers to be allowed to sell the beer they make to visitors, just like winemakers in Georgia and brewers in other states.
Instead, Georgia brewers will soon be able to charge for tours, which can include up to 72 ounces (a six-pack) of free beer to take home as a “souvenir.” And before that happens, the Georgia Department of Revenue will make and interpret the rules and regulations that govern how the law will be implemented, which could make it even less desirable.
But the fact that the bill passed by wide margins in both the House and Senate, and that Deal wanted the photo op, points to the higher profile Georgia’s craft brewers currently enjoy.
“We’re excited that, for the first time, Georgians and visitors to this state will be able to take some product home with them from breweries and distilleries,” Palmer said. “The Department of Revenue has indicated that they intend on having the new system ready to go on July 1, when the new law becomes effective.”
Iverson, who opened Monday Night Brewing on Atlanta’s westside in January 2013 with partners Jonathan Baker and Jeff Heck, spent a lot of time at the Capitol during the legislative session working to get the original SB 63 passed.
“We tried to do something very reasonable,” Iverson said. “But there were a lot of forces working behind the scenes that were against us. On one hand, it’s disappointing. On the other hand, there were some genuinely good people working with us. The fact that we won the floor votes by such huge margins just shows how much broad support there is for what we’re trying to do.”
Going forward, Iverson is determined to stay positive about the possibility for change in the near future.
“When I was at Craft Brewers Conference this year, I was talking to the guy who heads the California Guild,” Iverson said. “He told me that in the last 10 years, they’d introduced anywhere from one to four pieces of legislation each year, and 100 percent passed. But that took time and effort.
“Regardless of how it was turned into sausage, the fact is, we had a bill in Georgia that went through every committee, both chambers, and all the way to the governor’s desk. It passed all those hurdles, and that’s huge for us as a guild, and huge for the guild being on the radar of all those politicians.”
EVENT
The Georgia Craft Beer Festival
Saturday, May 30
$45 general / $75 VIP
A benefit for the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild, this outdoor festival next to Red Brick Brewing in Atlanta will feature over 30 Georgia breweries showcasing signature craft beers. In its third installment, look for an afternoon of games, live music and food trucks. All attendees must be 21. georgiacraftbeerfestival.com .
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