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Growling about growlers

Groups seek removal of growler sales cap

Staff photo by Fritz Busch August Schell Brewery Vice President of Operations Kyle Marti met with a number of state lawmakers and Alliance of Minnesota Craft Breweries members Friday to discuss the growler cap and why it should be removed.

NEW ULM — A number of state lawmakers met with Kyle Marti and Alliance of Minnesota Craft Breweries members at Schell’s brewery Friday to talk about the need to remove Minnesota’s current cap that restricts growler sales at craft breweries.

According to current state law, once a brewery produces 20,000 barrels of craft beer, it can’t sell growlers (which contain 64 ounces, a half gallon of beer).

Growlers, made of glass, ceramic or stainless steel, are commonly sold at breweries and brewpubs as a way to sell take-out craft beer.

Decades ago, fresh beer was carried from the local pub to home in small, galvanized pails. The term “growler” is said to have been born when beer splashed around the pail, creating a rumbling sound as carbon dioxide escaped through pail lids, according to popular lore.

There are only four breweries among 8,000 in the United States that can’t sell their beer to go. They are all in Minnesota — Schells, the oldest and largest brewery in Minnesota; Fulton (a microbrewery in the North Loop area of Minneapolis), Surly (a Minneapolis and Brooklyn Center craft brewery) and Castle Danger, a family-owned brewery in Two Harbors.

Two Alliance breweries are selling growlers but are very close to the cap: Indeed (a Northeast Minneapolis microbrewery) and Lift Bridge brewery of Stillwater.

According to the Alliance, when Minnesota lawmakers set the growler cap limit in 2015, they told Minnesota brewers to come back to the Capitol when it needed to be raised again.

“It’s an arcane law. It’s up to the Legislature to change the law,” said Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia.

“Minnesota brewing laws haven’t changed much since 1948, but the marketplace has. It’s rapidly moving to hand-crafted beer,” said Nash.

“It just doesn’t make sense,” said Fulton Beer co-owner Jim Diley.

Marti said removing the growler cap would allow people who visit the brewery to bring something home with them after visiting breweries.

“It’s a convenience. We’ve noticed a lot of people ask for a growlers and we have to tell them to buy it somewhere else,” Marti said. “We’re not looking to take business away from others.”

Marti said since the COVID-19 pandemic, Schell’s has had to dump a lot of beer. He didn’t give a specific amount.

“I have to say it’s more than a beer drinker would want to see go down the drain,” Marti said.

In addition, he said since the pandemic began, beer sales has grown in border states while it has dipped about 20% in Minnesota.

Marti said economic stimulus grants have helped the brewery keep employees on board, but the pandemic meant more “off” time.

“We had to furlough some people, working a week “on” and “off,” but everybody we had since the pandemic is still here. We’re pretty proud of that,” said Marti.

He has hopes of changing the growler law soon.

“We’re hoping to get to the table with all the players and get a law that says if you have a tap room, you can sell growlers,” Marti said.

Alliance points for changing the growler cap include:

• Minnesota beer laws, like the growler cap, are hurting local businesses and stunting the state’s craft beer industry.

• Craft breweries employ local workers and help communities grow.

• More growler sales would increase state tax revenue.

• Many Minnesota breweries are choosing to expand in other states because of outdated beer laws.

• The cap stifles innovation. Growlers allow brewers to develop small batches to experiment with new beers.

For more information, visit SupportMNBreweries.com

(Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nu

journal.com).

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