House bill will help Ky. craft brewing to grow
How would you feel if you owned a small business, sold an artisanal, one-of-a-kind product, were hiring new employees and investing millions of dollars in your business and then, when an enthusiastic customer asked to buy your product, state law required you to say, “Sorry, the answer is ‘no’”?
That’s exactly the situation that many craft brewers in Kentucky face each day.
If a person wants to buy more than 288 fluid ounces of our products, which we have taken great care to perfect, state law prohibits us from making the sale. You can imagine the look on the customer’s or tourist’s face. What would happen if a similar state law told a car dealer they could only sell four tires per vehicle and that selling a spare would be illegal?
It would make no sense, and neither does this cap.
The overwhelming majority of states — 32 in all — have no cap whatsoever. And guess what? The sky hasn’t fallen in a single one of those states.
Kentucky’s cap on sales made directly to a brewery’s customers is out of step with the laws of other states, basic principles of freedom in the marketplace, and our culture in general.
Thankfully, there is a solution. State Rep. Adam Koenig and several other legislators are sponsoring House Bill 136, which would repeal the archaic cap on a craft brewer’s sales to customers and allow our growing industry to better meet customer demand. It is slated to be heard in the Licensing and Occupations Committee Wednesday morning.
If HB 136 passed, what could we accomplish in Kentucky? It is fun to speculate. Craft brewers are devoted to the communities we serve, and that would certainly continue. We love our customers and our retail partners who support our brands. With 52 craft brewers already scattered across the commonwealth, we reflect the values and artisanship of our communities.
Collectively, our industry has invested approximately $79 million in Kentucky and employs approximately 600 folks. Just a year ago, we employed something closer to 400 individuals. And that does not even count all the local products and services we buy, the local taxes we pay, and the approximately $500,000 in charitable and community activities we supported last year. With the industry’s current status providing a firm foundation from which to grow, there is so much more we can achieve.
The Kentucky Guild of Brewers is grateful for the support we have seen in the General Assembly for HB 136. Let’s make it a law.
Adam Watson is president of the Kentucky Guild of Brewers and the owner of Against the Grain, a craft brewery based in Louisville.
This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 6:27 PM with the headline "House bill will help Ky. craft brewing to grow."