The Georgia General Assembly passed a bill during the 2015 legislative session that will advance the craft beer brewing industry in Georgia. Senate Bill 63, which will allow patrons to take home up to 72 ounces of craft beer as a brewery tour souvenir, ultimately passed with overwhelming support in both chambers and was signed by Gov. Nathan Deal. While there were changes to the final bill, I believe SB 63 will increase revenues for craft breweries across our state.
As a principle, we should consistently review our state’s laws and regulations to determine the overall impact on Georgia businesses. The goal should be to remove burdensome red tape, not create more hurdles. When our state reviewed current laws and regulations for the craft beer industry a few years ago, it became clear Georgia’s craft brewers were at a competitive disadvantage compared to their industry peers in other states. This disadvantage trickles into other industries – tourism, restaurants, hospitality. Craft brewing tourism not only brings visitors who spend money on the brewer’s craft; they also spend money on food, gas, hotel rooms and non-brewery vacation attractions.
The current three-tier system is intended to protect consumers and small craft breweries from the market being monopolized by a few multinational brewers, as well as the regulatory framework established as checks and balances. We should not disassemble this system; however, we should look at making common-sense changes that will allow small businesses to adequately compete and grow.
SB 63 was introduced with this intention. The bill proposed several solutions that would allow small craft breweries to hit higher profit margins on a limited amount of product. Increased revenues for any business, large or small, means more opportunities for reinvestment and growth — which means the creation of more jobs. For small businesses, achieving higher profit margins is critical for longevity and success. The final version of SB 63, which was recently signed into law, will help small craft breweries do just that.
Though several changes were made to SB 63 during the legislative process, the bill is still a large step forward in the right direction for Georgia’s craft brewers. The bill levels the playing field for craft brewers by expanding access to their product through an increased take-home limit.
Additionally, because patrons will be able to take home the product as it is packaged in retail stores, the likelihood of remembering the packaging and marketing of the product will increase, thereby helping sales of these products to increase in our retail stores. Both the Senate and the House voted overwhelmingly in favor of SB 63, which points to the belief the changes brought forth by this bill will be positive for all involved in this industry.
I am certain both supporters of the bill and critics of the bill’s changes can agree: This bill is progress. What we have done with SB 63 is allow small business operations to provide their product directly to consumers, with the intent they can increase revenues as they grow their brands.
Sen. Hunter Hill, a Republican, represents Georgia’s 6th District, which includes parts of Cobb and Fulton counties.
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