1. What’s the issue?

Right now, Minnesota breweries are allowed to sell growlers until they reach 3,500 barrels of annual production; and of that, only 500 barrels of that production can be sold in growler form. Once a brewery surpasses 3,500 barrels, they can’t sell any growlers at all. In other words, breweries who work hard to attract a loyal following do so at the expense of their growler sales.

We’re looking to increase the “cap” on the production ceiling for growlers sales to 250,000 barrels, while retaining the 500 barrel limit. So essentially, we’re simply asking legislators not to take away what breweries and their customers already enjoy.

 

2. How is this different from the Tap Room Bill?

The Surly bill/tap room bill/pint law allowed Minnesota breweries to make on-premise sales; ie, sell pints over the bar within the brewery. It did not change anything regarding off-sale; ie, growlers.

 

3. Who’s behind Save the Growlers?

This effort is driven by The Minnesota Brewer’s Association. We are a collection of brewers in the land of 10,000 lakes who all love providing tasty beer to fellow Minnesotans. We represent breweries big and small, collectively rallying to continue selling growlers at our breweries as we always have.

 

4. What can I do to help?

Similar efforts in the past (the Taproom Bill, for example) have had success with two main forms of support. First, we need people to show up at the committee meetings at the capital where the bill will be discussed. Second, we need our army of beer loving supporters to call the legislators in their district to express support for our bill.

 

5. What’s the best way to contact our senators and representatives?

Phone calls and emails play a critical role in convincing elected officials that their constituents want action. It only takes a minute to tell your senator and representative that you’d like them to support the growler reform bill.

Visit our Take Action page to find out who represents you and their contact info.