Did you know?
There are TWO caps on breweries for off-sale. The cap that doesn’t get as much attention is the 750 barrel cap. Once a brewery sells 750 barrels of beer in any off-sale container currently legal in MN (growlers – 64 oz bottles, mini growlers – 750 ml bottles, crowlers – 750 ml cans and any other 750 ml bottles), this brewery can no longer sell any off-sale product. This is a cap that we are NOT advocating to change.
The other cap is the 20,000 barrel cap that has been discussed by many media outlets in the past few weeks. Once a brewery reaches 20,000 barrels of production, it can no longer sell any off-sale product from its brewery. This is the cap we ARE advocating to change, which requires a change to state law and can only be accomplished through the MN legislature. The legislative session begins in January 2020. The best way you can help if you’d like to see this law changed is to contact your state representative and your state senator. Tell him/her that you want him/her to support the bills to change the cap (bill information below). Call them now. Email them now. Just because the legislature is not in session does not mean that progress can’t be made. And please, continue to contact them once the session starts in January.
Ultimately, if the 20,000 barrel cap is raised or eliminated, the three-tier system will continue to thrive because the amount of beer available in off-sale from a brewery is capped once a brewery sells 750 barrels of beer in growlers, crowlers and 750 ml bottles.
WHY DIDN’T WE SLOW DOWN PRODUCTION TO STAY UNDER 20,000?
A decision to slow down growth to stay under 20,000 barrels would actually hurt the three-tier system. Less beer would be sold to the distributors, which sell to the retailers. Because of less beer being available to distributors and retailers, those family-owned liquor retailers would be negatively impacted.
We distribute our beer state-wide and want all customers to be able to enjoy Castle Danger beer from whatever family-owned liquor retailers they choose to buy from.
BILL INFORMATION
Stay tuned for 2021 bill information!