Proposed Preliminary Growler and In-stand Sales Rules

Yesterday, a representative of Ward and Smith, P.A. attended the ABC Commission meeting on proposed Growler and In-stand beer sales rules. Here is a summary of that meeting:

The Commissioners questioned whether local health departments will perform any type of inspection of the sanitation/cleaning process and equipment. The Commissioners would like to hear from local health departments within the next 30 days while these rules are being reviewed by stakeholders.

In addition, an industry representative expressed opposition to the proposed label size, stating that 4×6 and 3×5 labels are too big. A concern was expressed regarding the “three-tub sink” rule: Some retailers may not have the ability or room to have a “three-tub sink.” There is a general concern that some rules may be too onerous and therefore, discourage retailers from participating in Growler re-filling.

The Commissioners delayed implementation of any temporary rules for an additional 30 days. They want to get stakeholders together to address these and other issues. Based upon some post-meeting discussions, we have a sense that the label size issue may be resolved by a “one-size fits all” approach.

In-stand Sales:

There is little to report on the rulemaking for In-stand sales. There are no temporary rules as of yet. The only rule-related issues addressed were who would be responsible for checking IDs and what type of labeling would be required on the containers used to carry and sell the beer.

Stay tuned ….