Athens brewery Creature Comforts may have run afoul of a law regulating brewery tours, 11 Alive reported Friday.
In a police report, Sgt. Laura Lusk, who is in charge of enforcing alcohol laws for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, said she went to “industry night” at the brewery last month and was given free beer but never offered a tour. (Nice work, if you can get it.) She cited two potential violations: giving away free alcohol and the lack of a tour.
ACC Attorney Bill Berryman will decide this week whether to bring a case against Creature Comforts, which could result in a fine or the suspension of their license, according to 11 Alive.
This seems to be a misunderstanding of the murky brewery law, Senate Bill 63, the legislature passed last year.
It states that breweries may “conduct educational and promotional brewery tours on the licensed premises of the brewer, free of charge or for a fee, which may include… free tastings on the licensed premises of the brewery of malt beverages manufactured by such brewer.”
While the law allows breweries to give away limited quantities of beer in conjunction with tours, there’s nothing in the law saying that somebody who pays for a tour actually has to go on the tour. Lots of people just post up in the bar area and drink.
If nothing else, this further illustrates what a sham Georgia’s beer laws are.
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