Craft breweries questioned by the Florida Retail Federation

Craft brewery tasting rooms have been a part of Florida culture since 1984, when an exception was made for Anheuser-Busch to offer beer tasting on premises, for touristic reasons. The concept rapidly caught on, so that by 2007 five more tasting rooms had been established throughout the state. There are currently over one hundred craft brewery tasting rooms in Florida, but a recent petition questions the grounds on which tasting rooms are permitted to also sell alcoholic beverages in addition to offering them for tasting. The petition is being filed by the Florida Retail Federation against the associations that represent Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors. Needless to say, craft brewery owners are very concerned, not only because an entire industry affected, but also because the public, comprising Florida residents and tourists, could be denied a service that they need, want and enjoy. The plaintiffs specified that it is not their intention to eliminate the concept of tasting rooms in Florida, but gain a better understanding of why they are allowed to both sell and produce beer at the same time. According to the 3-Tier System, a party can only produce, distribute or sell alcoholic beverages. Craft brewery tasting rooms both produce and sell alcohol, which the plaintiffs consider contradicts the system. They demand that tasting rooms not receive new liquor licenses and that special legislation to regulate their activities be developed by the State. Otherwise, the Florida Retail Federation will provide a solution themselves. It is not the first time that beet tasting room owners face pressure from this federation. Owners are concerned that the petition could halt the activity of local breweries. As the topic is a controversial one and settling matters could last for years, this could affect the tasting rooms that already sell liquor. Many of the existing breweries are startups encouraged by the booming industry and the fact that Florida could finally legalize the 64-ounce growler, but if selling these growlers is not allowed anymore, then they could even go out of business. According to the Florida Retail Federation, this petition is for the best of distributors, producers and consumers, but Josh Aubuchon from the Florida Brewers Guild says that this petition will do the opposite and that brewery owners will leave the state altogether if they cannot sell growlers on the premises. Interest in this petition also comes from two more other associations, so this is becoming quite a heated topic of discussion, especially in the context in which distribution of growlers is now legal in Central Florida, outside of the tourism exception. Small brewery owners would be extremely dissatisfied with a ban on selling growlers, mainly because they are small, family-owned businesses that would not survive without this service. In addition, they argue that they have helped the food industry. It is common knowledge that Florida food trucks are associated with tasting rooms and live music. The disappearance of one of these elements would damage the touristic and craft beer community, craft brewery owners say. LiquorLicenseFL.com 239-205-4770