One of the most heard statements in the taverns versus breweries turf war comes from a variety of tavern owners: “If breweries want to act like bars, they should buy a retail licenses like we had to do.” As explained here, that’s not legal under Montana law. Montana subscribes to the three tier system (manufacturer,…
You may recall our earlier discussions about a bill introduced to the Montana Legislature in January which would create a new “boutique” beer/wine shop license category. The previous bill would have allowed true bottle shops, but restricted their hours to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It did, however, allow such shops to have up to…
The Montana Department of Revenue’s effort to create a new brew-on-premise license was moving along with little trouble until it hit the Senate floor for its second reading on Friday, Feb. 8. The department sought to enact a licensing scheme for businesses which rent equipment to persons who want to brew up their own homebrew,…
Although beer has taken a back seat at the 63rd Montana Legislature – at least for the time being – wine is getting set for a big show. Five bills pertaining to wine have been introduced recently, or are ready to be introduced, ranging in subject from selling wine at farmers’ markets to revising laws…
Given Montana’s quota system for on-premise alcohol licenses, which we’ve talked a lot about recently, there are many restaurants which do not serve alcohol. Over the years, it became relatively common for many of these places to allow patrons to bring in their own alcohol such as a six pack of beer or a bottle…
House Bill 204, to create a new license for beer and wine bottle shops, came before the House Business and Labor Committee this morning. But before anything could happen with the bill, the sponsor, Representative Christy Clark, asked the Committee to table it without a hearing. Given the huge workload during the session, they readily…
Here’s a brief update on beer related items at the Montana Legislature for Tuesday, January 22, 2013. HB 58, creating a brew-on-premise license, easily passed the House by a 70 to 29 vote and has been transmitted to the Senate for its consideration. Along the way, the bill was amended to clarify that a licensee…
Less than 24 hours after Growler Fills broke the news about the Montana Tavern Association’s proposed bill to enact disastrous limits on Montana’s breweries, the bill (LC 1322) has been put back on hold and, word has it, won’t be coming back.[Note: as of 1-17-13, the title of the bill request has changed] The bill…
Montana doesn’t have tap rooms, a point I’m reminded about by John Iverson, the new lobbyist for the Montana Tavern Association. They have sample rooms. That’s what the law calls them. From the MTA’s perspective, they’ve become far too successful. One industry representative who asked to remain anonymous describes it this way: They were supposed…
True beer and wine bottle shops will be allowed in Montana for the first time if House Bill 204 finds favor with the 63rd Montana Legislature. The bill, sponsored by Representative Christy Clark, would create a new license category for retail sales and also permit limited tasting events for such shops. Presently, only “bona fide”…