ATLANTA — The Georgia Senate is working on a new effort to improve business conditions for the state’s craft brewers to remain successful.
Senate Bill 456 is meant to let independent craft breweries ferment further opportunities for their companies by removing sales caps on products they produce and allow them to self-distribute.
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The Georgia Craft Brewers Guild came out in support of the bill, saying it would allow brewers more flexibility and would help save local jobs across Georgia.
The bill comes amid what the guild calls a “challenging time for small businesses across the state,” and said the provisions were critical for Georgia-made beer to succeed.
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According to the proposal in the state senate, if passed, craft brewers would be able to produce their malt beverages, as well as selling them and distributing them to retailers.
Right now, state law limits how much of their beverages small brewers can provide to wholesalers.
As written, brewers or brewpubs who sell their products to wholesalers would be able to sell without a limit so long as the sales of individual brews do not surpass 15% of their overall sales from the previous calendar year.
The bill also allows brewers to sell up to 1,000 barrels of malt beverages produced at their licensed locations to wholesale retailers, so long as the retailers are in the same county as the brewery.
Brewers would also be able to sell, deliver and ship their beverages to other licensed brewers and brewpubs.
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