Off-Sales Approved for Hawaii Brewpubs

On July 10, 2004, Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle signed into law Hawaii’s SB2606, a bill that allows brewpubs to sell sealed containers of beer manufactured on the premises to be consumed elsewhere. The bill specifically amends brewpub licensing law to authorize brewpubs to sell beer for consumption off-premises. Until SB2606 was signed into law, brewpubs in Hawaii had to go through a distributor to offer their beers for off-premises consumption, but with the low potential volume of off-sales, the law was seen as one that discouraged distributors from getting involved. Hawaii state senators passed the law, saying that letting brewpubs sell sealed containers of their beers would give smaller, locally owned brewpubs in the state a way to tap into a larger segment of the beer consuming market, which in Hawaii is dominated by large national breweries based on the mainland USA. In addition, allowing brewpubs to sell beer for off-premises consumption was seen as a way to provide increased jobs in Hawaii’s brewing industry and increase revenues for the state.