The New Legislation Would Clean Up Decades of Disjointed State Laws & Empower All Wisconsinites to Support Small Businesses by Making It Easier to Drink Locally Here in the Badger State
The local members of the Wisconsin Craft Beverage Coalition – a non-partisan statewide group of beer, craft spirits and wine makers – are asking state legislators to pass the Alcohol Modernization Act (AB 304), which was introduced this week in Madison.
The Wisconsin Craft Beverage Coalition* is comprised of three statewide associations: the Wisconsin Brewers Guild, the Wisconsin Distillers Guild and the Wisconsin Winery Association, and, that collectively represent over 250 small and independent Wisconsin businesses. These small businesses contribute a combined economic impact of over $2 billion in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Speaker of the House Robin Vos and Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu introduced the legislation, which will consolidate nearly 100 years of fragmented state law into a set of comprehensive overarching laws to guide the craft beverage industry into the next 100 years and beyond.
“This pending legislation has been more than four years in the making and we can’t thank House Speaker Vos and Majority Leader LeMahieu enough for their leadership,” said William Glass, the president of the Wisconsin Brewers Guild and president and founder of The Brewing Projekt. “We encourage all state elected officials to support this pro-small-business legislation and for Governor Evers to sign it into law.”
Once enacted, AB 304 will:
- Allow Wisconsin breweries, wineries and distilleries to sell their products alongside other beer, wine, and spirits at their businesses.
- Will remove obstacles to the growth of the Wisconsin Craft Beverage industry and will help grow the state’s economy.
- Simplify how people can invest and own Wisconsin breweries, wineries and distilleries, as well as related real estate.
- Remove restrictions on the number of production permits and production locations that small business owners can have in Wisconsin.
- Expands retail opportunities for Wisconsin Craft Beverage producers.
- Authorize breweries, wineries and distilleries to bring and serve samples of their product at any retail location.
- Fulfill consumer demand for greater experiences from the hospitality industry.
- Create uniform statewide retail sales hours and clarify that production and transport activities are exempt from current hours of operation.
- Add greater clarity and consistency in the regulations of the alcohol industry.
- Authorize a bottle of wine to be “recorked” or “recapped” so it can be enjoyed later.
“The Alcohol Modernization Act legislation is all about removing unnecessary hurdles and leveling the playing field for hard-working small-business owners here in Wisconsin,“ said Evan Hughes, co-founder and CEO of Central Standard Craft Distillery in Milwaukee and legislative lead for the Wisconsin Distillers Guild. “The bill will allow all Wisconsinites to better connect with their local, hometown breweries, distilleries and wineries. It will also help keep countless jobs – from family farmers and truck drivers to glass-bottle makers and those in the hospitality industries – right here in Wisconsin.”
About the Wisconsin Craft Beverage Coalition
The mission of the Wisconsin Craft Beverage Coalition, an association that has been established to represent the interests of Wisconsin’s independent craft beverage producers, is to promote, protect and defend Wisconsin’s vibrant craft beverage industry. We are currently comprised of three trade associations, The 250 small and independent Wisconsin businesses that make up the Wisconsin Craft Beverage Coalition contribute a combined economic impact of over $2 billion in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Craft Beverage Coalition provides a unified voice to help educate policy makers at the state and local level about the economic, employment, and tourism opportunities that local craft beverage producers provide to their communities. The coalition also works to promote legislation that will allow Wisconsin’s craft beverage industry to grow and thrive and will raise awareness of all legislative and special interest proposals that would harm small businesses here in Wisconsin.
