UNTAMED BEER – a beer blog featuring beer reviews, news and discussion

The first step toward allowing breweries to dual license, giving them the ability to distribute and sell on-premises, was taken this week. House Bill 3693 was introduced and was referred to the Committee and Judiciary. I’m not really sure what that means, but it is good news.

For those that may not follow the issue, in South Carolina, a brewery can be either “on-premises” or “off-premises.” This means they can produce beer and sell it through a distributor or they can sell it in their establishment (brewpub) but not both.

Allowing small breweries to sell on-premises is advantageous for the breweries because it will allow them to do brewery tours, have tasting rooms, and enjoy higher margins by selling some product directly to the customer. It’s a way to generate traffic and buzz (literally and figuratively) and draw in new customers by offering fun activities, thus creating a personal connection with the brewery and increasing brand loyalty.

It’s hard enough for these small brewers to survive, let alone grow. Why do you think we only have five breweries in the state? So keep your eyes and ears open for more news on this bill. I’ll let you know when we start organizing sit-ins…

I just pre-ordered my tickets for Beer Wars, a documentary on the beer industry in America, which will be in theaters for one night, April 16.

The premise of the story follows beer entrepreneurs Sam Calagione (Dogfish Head) and Rhonda Kallman (New Belgium) as they work to bring innovation and growth to craft beer while going up against the challenges posed by the big beer corporations.

The documentary is basically an insider’s look at the beer industry, and I’m sure it will be interesting. After reading Ken Wells’ Travels with Barley, which went into some detail about the beer industry, I was fascinated by the politics and relationships of big beer, beer wholesalers and craft brewers. That book was written in 2004, so I’m anxious to see a 2009 picture of the industry, especially considering all the recent mergers and the continued growth of craft breweries.

After the documentary, they will show a live panel hosted by Ben Stein that will include Sam Calagione, Greg Koch (Stone), Kim Jordan (New Belgium), and Jim Koch (Sam Adams). It should be interesting!

Perhaps the greatest idea ever, the Snuggie Pub Crawl in San Diego. I can just envision it now, a bunch of people walking along the street in Snuggies carrying mugs of beer. That would actually be very creepy. If I were to start a cult, Snuggies would definitely be the required uniform.

Apparently it is illegal for an individual to bring any alcohol into Tennessee:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/feb/26/transporting-alcohol-could-mean-felony/

Under three gallons is a misdemeanor, over three gallons is a felony. I guess that makes me a beer bootlegger, as I’ve brought some of my homebrew to my sister’s house there.

However, I love the spirit of Tennesseans, as this comment by smokedoctor so aptly demonstrates:

“They ain’t gonna stop me from bringing alcahol in. They can’t take my smokes I buy in Ky neither. And ain’t no way theyll take my gun if Im still alive.”

I love the South!