Thank you to those who replied off-list with a link to Councilmember Niziolek's proposed Growler Ordinance. I included a copy of the proposed ordinance at the end of this message.
Why is this ordinance being proposed? How did the brewpubs, Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery and Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, get approval to sell growlers? Did they get a license or some other form of City approval? Does the City need this ordinance in order to license the sale of growlers? On a related note, why the legend "Not for Consumption in Public"? Don't we already have public consumption laws regarding liquor, beer, and wine? I forget which Councilmember expressed the concern that such large containers of beer may promote the overconsumption of beer, but, from my own experience, that has not been an issue in my household. The growlers that I have purchased from the aforementioned brewpubs reseal well and retain their freshness for several days when kept in a refrigerator. I have not found any occasion where I felt I should drink the entire contents of the growler in one session out of concern for it going stale. My thought is that those who abuse alcohol will not bother buying the relatively expensive (but better quality) beer from a brewpub and, instead, will buy cheaper beer from a liquor store. I am grateful that the growler law was passed by the State and that Minneapolis acted quickly to approve the sale of growlers. Prior to the passing of the growler law, I had visited family members who live in Michigan. One night on the dinner table was a growler of beer. This was my first exposure to growlers. When I inquired as to where they got the growler, they replied "From a local brewpub." I was flabbergasted that they could bring home good tasting beer from the local brewpub whereas I could not. Scott McGerik http://mcgerik.com/scott/ -- Amending Title 14, Chapter 362 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances relating to Liquor and Beer. The City Council of the City of Minneapolis do ordain as follows: Section 1. That Chapter 362 of the Minneapolis Code of Ordinances be amended by adding thereto a new section 362.45 to read as follows: 362.45 "Off-Sale" Malt Liquor (a) An "on-sale licensee who is also a brewer licensed under Minnesota Statute 340A.301, Subdivision 6 (d) may be licensed for the "off-sale" of malt liquor produced and packaged on the licensed premises, subject to the following conditions: 1. Off sale of malt liquor may only be made during the hours that off-sale of liquor may be made; 2. The malt liquor shall be packaged in 64-ounce containers commonly known as "growlers"; 3. The malt liquor sold at off-sale must be removed from the licensed premise before the applicable closing time at exclusive liquor stores; 4. The "growler" must be sealed in such a manner that the seal must be broken in order to open the container and the seal must bear the name and address of the brewer, and the legend "Not for Consumption in Public" must be prominently displayed on the seal. (b) "Off-Sale" Malt Liquor premises shall not be subject to the requirement that they be in excess of two thousand (2,000) feet from another "off-sale" liquor premise. (c) Section 2. The annual license fee shall be as listed in Appendix J. REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
