Like all states, Minnesota’s stay-home order has forced breweries to close their tap rooms. For now, breweries can only sell beer in growlers and crowlers from the brewery for off-site sales while it is unlawful to sell beer in bottles or cans directly to customers from the brewery.
Under a proposed House bill, Minnesota breweries would be able to sell six-packs of 12-ounce cans and four-packs of 16-ounce cans for the length of the pandemic-driven emergency, and then for 60 days afterward.
Sounds like a reasonable adjustment given that most states allow this on an ongoing basis and Minnesota brewers are asking only for temporary relief. But the lobbying group for the beer wholesalers and others are opposed.
“Conferring special advantages to one tier of the industry simultaneously puts other tiers at a disadvantage,” Mike Madigan, president of the Minnesota Beer Wholesalers Association told the Star Tribune News.
With just one week left in the legislative session, it is unlikely the bill will clear the opposition and pass.