If that’s what you think, you’re right, but we’re definitely not the only ones.  Microbreweries in South Carolina can’t do direct sales or provide samples to their patrons.

But that might change according to the South Carolina Brewers Association who is helping to support a bill in the South Carolina General Assembly that would (gasp!) bring South Carolina closer to Montana’s current state of affairs.  House Bill 3693 would allow microbreweries to allow patrons to sample up to four beers and purchase for off-site consumption up to 288 ounces in one 24 hour period.   Check out the text of the Bill and you’ll find a host of restrictions like this one: ” a sample may be no more than two ounces per brand of beer with over eight percent alcohol by weight and no more than four ounces of beer with under eight percent alcohol by weight brewed at the licensed premises.”  And there are still no provisions for selling pints at the breweries. Nevertheless, the ability to do direct sales of growlers (and other containers) is a huge step forward in support of the microbrewing industry. 

Another Bill making its way through the SC General Assembly, House Bill 4572, would allow certain stores that are licensed to sell beer for off-site consumption to offer samples of beer in the store, something Montana doesn’t allow.

So the next time you grumble about the state of Montana’s beer laws (and trust me, I’m right there with you) remember we’re not alone in the effort to support opportunities for the microbrewing industry.