Brewery, Refrigerated Beer Bills Advance To House Floor
What the Ale: Bills on brewery sales, refrigerated beer pass committee on National Beer Day
By TOM GILBERT Chief Photographer
Oklahomans saw progress on two beer-related bills on Tuesday, National Beer Day.
Senate Bills 424 and 383 went through the Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances Committee, so they could go up for a vote on the House floor in the next three weeks.
SB 424 would allow beer in excess of 3.2 percent alcohol by weight to be sold at a brewery. Breweries currently can sell only 3.2 ABW and below at their locations; for higher-point beer, they must go through a wholesaler, distributor and then liquor store (who all get cuts).
Breweries aren’t trying to cut wholesalers, distributors and liquor stores out of the equation. They are providing a service that brewers don’t want to deal with. Breweries want to brew beer. But they also want tourists to come to their breweries and be able to buy any of the products the brewery makes.