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Feature
Update:
The bill passed the House with a vote of 125-26 and
will head to the Senate for a vote during the next session!
Georgians
may be seeing some new beers on store shelves in the near future if a bill currently
working its way through the state legislature passes. House
Bill 645, in its current form, would simply remove the reference to 6 percent
alcohol by volume (ABV) in the current description of beer. This would allow beers
over 6 percent ABV into the state and into beer aficionados’ cellars. Supporters
of the bill are quick to explain that this isn’t about the alcohol but consumer
choice. Jodie
Davis Barthlow of Canton, Ga., said, “It
isn’t just a simple issue of alcohol content, it’s an issue of beer styles. We
Georgians simply haven’t got access to many of the world’s beer styles because
of this law. These beers aren’t brewed for their alcohol content, the content
is a result of desired end result, or style, of the beer.” In
fact, the number of well-regarded styles of beer that are illegal to sell in Georgia
is fairly large. In the state, you can’t find any examples of imperial stouts,
barley wines or Baltic porters. Many of the styles native to Belgium, one of the
word’s most-respected beer-producing countries, are banned as well. Only lambics,
white ales, pilseners and a few weaker abbey-style ales make it through. For those
with a taste for tripels and other varieties of Belgian strong ales, a voyage
out of state is required. The
bill was authored by Rep. Stephanie Stuckey Benfield (D-Decatur), who also penned
a similar bill last session. She says her reasons for supporting the bill aren’t
all that personal. “I hate to say I am more of a light beer drinker,”
she said. She went on to add that the owners of the Brick Store Pub, a beer bar
in her district, had come to her and asked that she help get the law changed so
they may improve the selection they offer their patrons. Benfield
knows that getting her bill passed won’t be easy. Misconceptions
about these beers, and beer in general, have hindered this bill in the past. In
fact, similar bills have been introduced twice in recent years and both have failed.
The last time a similar bill came before the House, some legislatures claimed
it would increase drunk driving and teen drinking problems. Mark
Nelson says this simply isn’t true. “The
outlets where minors and winos where they’re going to buy their products aren’t
going to carry this traditional, fancy beers from Europe,” said the co-founder
of Georgians for World Class Beer (GWCB). “For the bang for your buck they’re
going to buy the cheapest 5% beer instead of the 9% beer that’s going to be $9
a bottle.” There
is some hope for supporters this year, as Ohio increased their limit to 12% in
2002. The current budget crunch Georgia lawmakers are wrestling could also be
a great help. Many
of the beers banned in Georgia are available in Tennessee and Florida. Many craft
beer lovers make trips to these states, and others, to buy the beer they can’t
find here. In an unofficial poll conducted on the Atl-beer mailing list (which
is hundreds strong) all of the respondents said they had left the state to buy
beers they weren’t allowed to buy in Georgia. In fact, most said they make regular
trips. Every
one of the out-of-state purchases are sending tax dollars into the coffers of
other states. To money-conscious legislators with tight budgets, keeping these
tax dollars at home may be an attractive thought. GWCB
has taken an extra step this year in support of the bill by hiring a lobbyist
to convince legislators to vote in favor of eliminating a limit that the majority
of other U.S. states don’t have. Both
Benfield and Nelson are optimistic about the beer, but not overly so. “It
may be a 2-year bill,” Benfield said. “Some bills take some education to get the
support we need to pass.” The
Message for your Rep | The
basic message to make sure you get across is that you strongly support
House
Bill 645.
If you get a chance to discuss it further with the Representatives
themselves
(it's surprising, but some will pick up their phone personally!)
here are
some other key points:
1) What we are talking about is "gourmet
beer." It'll come up on its own,
but when we dive in talking about
"strong," "higher alcohol," etc. beers,
it's too easy
to turn that into "high octane," or some other sensationalist
phrase.
So, stick with "gourmet".
2) Georgia is in the minority on
this issue. A total of 38 states and the
District of Columbia do not limit
beer sales, as Georgia does.
3) Georgia currently loses sales and tax
revenue to both Florida and
Tennessee, which allow gourmet beer to be sold.
4) Existing brands will not become stronger in Georgia as a result of this
change. Roughly 97% of the beer sold in the U. S. fits into a category
called
"light lager." Alcohol laws vary from state to state. Yet these beers
do not vary from state to state, because producing them at a higher alcohol
content would raise the cost to the consumer and decrease sales.
5) Gourmet
beer is expensive. The same quantity of alcohol costs 5 to 10
times
as much in a gourmet beer as in beer and spirits already on Georgia
shelves.
Even a recent study by the Center for Alcohol and Substance Abuse
at Columbia
University stated that price is the key deterrent to alcohol
consumption.
6) Georgia can only win from this change. Removing this Prohibition-era
restriction will allow Georgia to benefit from gaining sales lost to
neighboring
states. Our image as an international destination will improve
with
both foreign and American visitors. |  |
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