Last week, New Jersey passed a law to help the state’s microbreweries and brewpubs. To quote the South Jersey Times’ Jessica Beym:
The law:
- Permits brew pubs, to increase their annual production to 10,000 barrels a year, up from 3,000.
- Allows brew pubs to distribute their product to liquor stores and restaurants through the wholesale distribution system. Previously, brewpubs could only sell their product in the restaurant immediately adjoining the brewery.
- Increases the current cap on the number of brewpubs a company may open in New Jersey, by raising the limit on plenary retail consumption licenses for brewpubs from two to 10.
- Permits brewpubs to offer samples of their product on site as well as off site with a permit from the Alcohol Beverage Control director, at places such as fairs or charity events.
- Permits microbreweries to sell beer brewed at the licensed location for consumption on premises as part of a brewery tour. Also allows microbreweries to sell a limited amount of beer for off-site consumption.
- Allows microbreweries to offer samples of their product both on and off the premises, as currently permitted by the state’s wineries.
Sound like a familiar premise? Well, it’s basically exactly what we are trying to accomplish here in Texas.
Today, we raise a pint to you, New Jersey! Well done.
Texas, we can’t afford to fall further behind on this.
