Sarasota Breweries Celebrate the New State Law

The beer industry in Sarasota and the entire Tampa Bay Area has always been popular among beer lovers, and in July they had an extra reason to celebrate: Breweries throughout the county toasted for the new state law that allowed them to offer clients 64-ounce growlers to take home. As the new law took effect, on July 1^st, 2015, all breweries celebrated the beginning of a new era in the Florida beer industry and the end of a law that many considered quite confusing. The new 64-ounce growler is considered much more comfortable for a take-home packaging and will take the Florida beer industry to the next level.

The Big Top Brewing Company from Sarasota actually received a high mark in this year’s U.S. Open Beer Championship where judges tasted over 4000 beers from all over the world, thus making this mark very important in the prestige of the county and added something more to be proud of. The Florida beer scene has always been appreciated by locals and visitors alike and as the new law took effect and the award winning breweries were allowed to sell their product in a new packaging, the entire beer industry toasted to the event. This new bill is expected to increase the sales of beer, especially during tourist season, but also to maintain beer sales higher than before even when the season comes to an end.

Beer lovers from all over the country are now even more excited to visit Florida and breweries are always happy to accommodate their clients and make their experience as pleasant as possible. In fact, the number of breweries has certainly grown in the past few years throughout the country and Florida has around 150 operating breweries at the moment, a number the will continue to increase, especially with the new law that took effect in July. There are many beer festivals that take place in Florida and this year, the Sarasota Brandenton Beer Festival that takes place on Aug 8^th has certainly got everyone excited. It is the first beer festival in the county after the new law and brewers are excited to share the new growler with their clients and tourists. Of course, there are many other beer festivals to come in Sarasota this year, so those who cannot join the one on the 8^th can rest assured that they will have plenty of other options to choose from later on in August and September.

All in all, the new Florida law has definitely brought a lot of reasons to celebrate to Sarasota breweries and beer lovers will now be able to taste their favorite product from a brand new packaging. Whether they take a tour of the breweries or they join one of the beer festivals that are scheduled for this summer, they will have plenty of chances to experience first-hand the 64 oz. growlers and the highly appreciated Florida beer along with them. In sum, those who are planning a trip to Florida should definitely pay a visit to local breweries because they will not regret it.

Broward County Turns by Night

When talking about nightlife, you just cannot exclude alcohol. It just won’t do. So, the moment you admit that a city or a county in general offers plenty of bars, nightclubs or restaurants, you instantly say yes to alcohol. From this point of view, Broward County has certainly made an impression. This is one area that has found it rather difficult to say no to alcohol, especially to beer. In this part of the country, people generally drink more beer than other types of beverages and to prove it, you have quite a significant number of recognized and well-appreciated breweries like Mack House or Laser Wolf. It’s true that other types of beverages are not that well represented in bars, but this is when nightclubs come in the picture and set the scale balancing things a bit. Indeed, important, fresh clubs like The Dubliner or Pawn Shop lounge offer customers the chance to try all sorts of beverages and not just beer.

Now that the season has almost arrived, it might a good idea to give a few pointers as far as nightlife is concerned. You might be surprised to hear, but Broward County has quite the vivid nightlife. It’s true that during the day, places like Fort Lauderdale, Oakland Park and of course the almost famous Hollywood of Broward County, might seem quiet, even a bit dull. However, during the night, these cities completely change and become the ideal location for entertainment. No wonder so many tourists decide to visit these cities year after year. The bottom line is that the nightlife here is more vivid than you ever thought. It’s true, this is good news for tourists, but what about entrepreneurs. Surely you can imagine that you can actually run a profitable business like a bar or a restaurant, if the nightlife permits. Now that Broward County is welcoming more and more nightclubs like American Social or Bar Stache, both in Fort Lauderdale, it would appear that investing in this field might just be the break you have looking for. Prepare for the season and invest in a business that owns a complete liquor license. In some cases you might even be able to purchase a tavern or a restaurant, the actual building and its license.

You might have to make a few changes and work on reputation, where it is needed, but other than that, you should be just fine. The Broward County nightlife permits you to make a living out of entertainment. So, check the newspapers or one of the many dedicated websites and discover real opportunities. Many cities change from day to night. Bars, restaurants, cafes, all establishments of this kind open their doors to tourists and locals looking for entertainment. However, here is one important mention to all entrepreneurs who see the potential in the Broward County nightlife. Without owning a liquor license, purchased and annually renewed, your business plans will certainly not make it. So, consider this aspect, take all measures of precautions and see what type of business you would like to own. It could be a brewery, but at the same time, nightclubs with a great cocktail variety are a delight for tourists.

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• Santa Rosa considers alcohol sales permit for events

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• By AARON LITTLE
  623-2120
  alittle@srpressgazette.com

  
  Posted Sep. 21, 2015 at 4:41 PM
  Updated Sep 21, 2015 at 4:44 PM 
  
  

  MILTON — Special events in Santa Rosa County may soon have access to a special permit that would allow alcohol sales on Sundays.

  Commissioner Rob Williamson brought the issue to the board because he is concerned the extreme physical endurance course Tough Mudder may not return without such an incentive.

  In the spring, the Santa Rosa Press Gazette reported restrictive alcohol sales times may keep the roughly 11-mile obstacle course through mud, freezing water and tear gas from returning next year.

  According to a report prepared by the Brooklyn, New York, based Tough Mudder, Inc, the event contributed more than $6.1 million to the local economy, as well as attracting more than 14,500 out-of-market visitors.

  Tough Mudder traditionally offers those who cross the finish line a free beer for their efforts after both the Saturday and Sunday runs. However, Tough Mudder took place in East Milton where liquor laws prohibit Sunday sales entirely.

  Tourist Development Council Director Julie Morgan said Tough Mudder organizers have “shown interest, but have made no solid plans” to return to Santa Rosa County in 2016.

  “We’re still in initial talks,” she said.

  Williamson’s proposed amendment does not directly name Tough Mudder, but special tourist events. Commissioner Jayer Williamson asked exactly what sort of qualifications an event would need to receive an alcohol sales permit. He said he had several questions such as what number of anticipated attendees might be necessary and the nature of the event.

  By the end of discussion, Commission Chairman Don Salter asked Williamson to work with County Attorney Roy Andrews to come back Thursday with details on how the permit will work.

Bill Appalls Duval County’s Citizens

It is well known in commerce that the merchandise of alcohol is very strictly regulated by the relevant authorities. One reason for this is to be able to control in some way the quantities of alcohol that is being distributed, and additionally, to avoid the selling of alcoholic beverages to minors. The requirements that the state imposes so as to grant a business the permission of selling alcohol are related to specific details such as the place and the time where alcoholic beverages shall be consumed. Consequently, the United States limits the consumption of alcohol to minors below the age of 21 and does not permit the production of distilled spirits intended for personal consumption.

Furthermore, there are clear limitations on the alcohol that is merchandised by grocery stores. The fact is that the regulations differ from state to state and some counties are even given the possibility of modifying certain rules as they desire, but only to a limited extent. For instance, in the state of Florida spirits can be purchased from retail stores, but the containers should not be larger than 1 gallon. In addition to this, anyone who desires to purchase beer or wine is free to do so from supermarkets and other businesses that are given permission to commercialize low-alcohol spirits. Up to the present moment, people couldn’t purchase alcoholic beverages from retail stores and grocery stores, but a bill that was recently adopted may change the situation. The Florida House panel has recently adopted a bill that will empower retailers such as Wal-Mart to sell liquor. The reason for this is to increase the sales in craft beer. Not many are aware of the fact that state regulations stipulate that liquor has to be sold only in specialized stores and thus be separated from the rest of the grocery store. It is only natural that much opposition has arisen after the passing of this law.

The first to publicly manifest their disapproval was the sheriff of Duval County that argued the fact that this will have serious repercussions visible in the increase of underage drinking. He voiced the concern that making alcoholic beverages more available to the public does not necessarily represent the removal of a so-called barrier between businesses. Moreover, grocery chains such as Publix disagreed with the resolution taken owing to the fact that it affects the infrastructure that the grocery store has developed especially for the sale of alcoholic beverages. While many are of the opinion that this law will only be beneficial to the running of the business, the truth is that for smaller stores the removal of this wall will actually be more expensive owing to the fact that the liquor licenses costs thousands of dollars that will automatically go down the drain, not to mention the investments made in infrastructure. Additionally, many store owners and employees alike do not have the necessary knowledge of alcohol in order to know how to sell it. Despite all these arguments the bill passed with a 9 to 4 vote.