Regular readers know that I’d much rather write about beer than politics. But in the state of Georgia, those two seemingly disparate things have been linked in ways that would seem perverse almost anywhere else in the U.S.
Recently, a new website called GA Beer Laws (w.gabeerlaws.com) 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.
But those talking points are only an intro to what the site offers for concerned beer lovers in a year when the 2016 Georgia legislative session is expected to right some of the wrongs of the 2015 “Beer Jobs Bill,” and may even see the introduction of sweeping new legislation aimed at making Georgia beer laws more like laws in 48 other states.
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.
Scrolling through, you’ll get a pretty good picture of why this may be the make-or-break year for the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild as it takes on powerful politicians, lobbyists and governmental agencies that seek to preserve the status quo.
If you haven’t kept up with beer law news over the past year, here are some bullet points in the headlines seen online:
March 2, 2015: "Why aren't Georgia Republicans getting government out of these small businesses' way?" — Kyle Wingfield, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
May 6, 2015: "Governor Deal signs beer bill into law" — Austin L. Ray, Creative Loafing
Aug. 8, 2015: "NC craft beer industry now tops in the South" — Kathleen Purvis, The News & Observer
Sept. 30, 2015: "Georgia brewers hopping mad after state changes new tour rules" — Aaron Gould Sheinin, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oct. 1, 2015: "Beer Town: The grand illusion of beer-to-go" — Bob Townsend, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nov 18, 2015: "Georgia beer brewers: State sold us out to distributors" — Aaron Gould Sheinin, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dec. 9, 2015: "Ralston calls on state to reverse craft brewery tour rule change" — Aaron Gould Sheinin, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dec. 30, 2015: "David Shafer urges revenue commissioner to back off new craft beer regs" — Jim Galloway and Greg Bluestein, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jan. 8, 2016: "Rethinking alcohol sales in Georgia: 'It may be appropriate,' says David Ralston" — Daniel Malloy, Greg Bluestein, Jim Galloway, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jan. 12, 2016: "Tip sheet: Coming up, a move to rewrite Georgia's three-tier system of alcohol sales" — Jim Galloway, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jan 13, 2016: "Bureaucratic spat may clear way for new GA beer bill" — Doug Richards, WXIA 11 Alive
We’ll see what happens next. I only hope I’ll be writing more about beer and less about beer laws soon.
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