As of July 1, a handful of new Georgia laws will go into effect. One of these includes the passage of a new beer law. Here are five things you should know about it:
1. Senate Bill 63, dubbed the "Beer Jobs Bill" by its sponsor, state Sen. Hunter Hill (R-Smyrna), goes into effect July 1.
2. The new law allows crafter breweries to charge for a tour and offer beer as a free souvenir, up to the limits, depending on how much someone pays. Those limits are 36 ounces of beer, which can be consumed on site, and up to 72 ounces of beer that can be taken home. Patrons can also take home up to 750 millileters of liquor from a local distillery.
3. The bill Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal signed is a watered-down version of what supporters were originally seeking, which would have explicitly allowed breweries to directly sell larger amounts of beer to customers.
4. Georgia has a growing craft brewery industry, with nearly 40 across the state, but it is one of four states that does not allow craft brewers to sell directly to consumers. The others are Hawaii, Mississippi and West Virginia.
5. The laws were created as Georgia, and the rest of the nation, emerged from Prohibition. The state created a three-tiered system made up of the beer brewer, the wholesaler who delivers the beer and the retail shop, restaurant or bar that sells beer to customers in order to prevent monopolies by national beer manufactuerers.
For information about other Georgia laws going into effect July 1, click here.
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