How Cronyism Is About To Kill Florida Micro-Breweries

The Florida Wholesale Beer Association has helped to craft a law that will restrict how micro-brewries sell beer. The Florida State Senate just passed SB 1714, a bill which was crafted and supported by florida wholesale beer association. The bill restricts how much craft breweries can sell to consumers.
The way the bill is constructed micro brewries can sell up to 2,000 kegs a year of their own brew in any size container. But if they sell more than 2, 000 kegs a year, the bill prohibits them from selling their beer in sealed cans or bottles for home consumption directly from the microbrewery.
So they can only sell 2,000 kegs a year? Not quite. Once they hit the 2,000 keg mark, they must now use a wholesale distributor that’s right a distributor who would be a part of the Florida Wholesale Beer Association.
The bottom line here once they hit the 2,000 keg mark, the micro breweries would end up having to buy back their own beer from the distributors at a marked up price. Why would lawmakers do this? They are doing it in the name of consumer protection claiming they are protecting a three-tier system between breweries, distributors and retailers.


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