NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A bill was signed this week to allow microbreweries to do more distributing of their own product.
"This was a real grassroots movement that came up from the brewing community," said Democratic Rep. Jason Probst of Hutchinson. "There were a handful of brewers and one in particular who spearheaded it and he was saying you know if we don't get this changed I'm going to go out of business because I can't move enough of my own product and at the beginning of the year I was thinking this is probably a two or three year project to get that done but we were able to get it done in one year."
The bill allows microbreweries to get wider product lines in places other than the bars they own.
"Basically a brewer that made beer had to go through a distributor who then had to sell it to retail outlets like liquor stores and bars and restaurants," Probst said. "If you ever notice when you go to a place there's the local brewers might have a dozen beers if you go into the brewery but if you go to a restaurant or a bar you can only find one of those beers and that's because of that distribution system. This allows the brewers to sell their product directly to catered events to bars and grills in their area. There is a cap on it at a thousand barrels which is most brewers say that that's going to be fine for them but it's really loosening that regulation and allowing that industry to thrive."
Steven Petermann of Salt City Brewing Company was also there for the signing.
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