Stripped-Down Brewery Bill Moves Closer to House Vote | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is John Trump, who is managing editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

    An effort to raise the number of barrels North Carolina's craft brewers can produce before they have to procure a distributor has failed.

    For now.

    Brewers are looking at their legal options and will likely file a lawsuit over House Bill, which sought to raise the barrel limit to 200,000.

    Although House Bill 500 continues to slowly creep toward the House floor, the current proposed committee substitute hardly resembles the original filing and can best be categorized as legislative backwash.

    Distributors won't relent to the increased limits.

    Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, is a primary sponsor of H.B. 500. McGrady, in a meeting of the Alcohol Beverage Control committee Tuesday, presented the compromise.

    "The two primary warring parties have come together on the bill," he said.

    Tim Kent, executive director of the N.C. Beer & Wine Wholesalers, which vehemently opposed an increase to the barrel provision, flashed a thumbs up.

    The brewers, who gathered on an opposite side of the room, made no such gesture.


Scott Craddock, head brewer at Raleigh Brewing Company. (CJ photo by Kari Travis)


    Nor did Rev. Mark Creech, executive director of the Christian Action League. He railed against the measure, in particular a provision that allows farm breweries to their products on site, contingent on local approval.

    Rep. Pat B. Hurley, R-Randolph, went as far as to propose an amendment that eliminates such tastings in dry counties to include, presumably, wineries. Her motion failed soundly.

    Jon Guze, director of Legal Studies for the John Locke Foundation, wrote that the fight over barrel limits is far from over.

  • "The law serves no legitimate purpose and exists for two reasons only: to protect the national and international beverage conglomerates from local competition, and to enrich the members of the wholesale distribution oligopoly to whom the craft brewers are forced to turn over their distribution operations. ... The wholesalers and their friends in the legislature shouldn't be too complacent ... . In recent years, litigators in other states have successfully defended economic freedom on the basis of those states' constitutions. Because it's such a blatant example of cronyism, the beer distribution cap is vulnerable to challenge based on several provisions in the North Carolina Constitution."

    John Marrino, owner of Olde Meck, is one of the brewers - along with NoDa, Red Oak and Raleigh Brewing Co. - who have led the effort toward increasing the barrel cap.

    "Last week we were shocked by what happened, and we have met with legal counsel," he said Monday. "That's the last resort, but if it comes to that we have to protect our businesses and the families that work for them."
Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )




Crossover Week Offers Lesson in Legislative Power Carolina Journal, Editorials, Op-Ed & Politics Tillis Selected as Commissioner for Helsinki Commission


HbAD0

Latest Op-Ed & Politics

far left sugar daddy has also funded anti-Israel groups and politicians in US
Be careful what you wish for, you may get it
America needs to wake up and get its priorities right
Former President Donald Trump suggested this week that if he becomes president again, he might allow Prince Harry to be deported.
It's a New Year, which means it's time to make resolutions — even for prominent evangelical leaders. The Babylon Bee asked the following well-known figures in the faith what they hope to accomplish in 2024:
Vice President Kamala Harris will visit a Minnesota Planned Parenthood clinic, reportedly the first time a president or vice president has visited an abortion facility.

HbAD1

An eight-mile stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville has been temporarily closed due to a string of “human and bear interactions,” the National Parks Service announced.
University of Wisconsin tried to punish conservatives for the fact that liberals regularly commit crimes to silence opposition
most voters think EU officials not doing a good job on illegal immigration
Come from behind by GOP candidate is a blueprint to 2024
Biden spending and energy policies to blame

HbAD2

Tuberculosis carried by illegal invaders has already infected Texas cattle

HbAD3

 
Back to Top