Missouri bill would allow growlers in gas stations, grocers

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri beer lovers could get their fill of rich milk stouts and hoppy pale ales on draft at convenience and grocery stores under proposals brewing in the state Legislature.

The two measures, one that stalled in the Senate and another that passed the House earlier this month, would allow stores that sell packaged beer to add to their wares growlers -- take-home jugs of draft beer. Currently, growlers are available only at breweries and some bars.

The perk, House bill sponsor and home brewer Republican Rep. Robert Cornejo says, is for drinkers who want to enjoy their favorite beer at home instead of journeying to a brewery. Growlers also could give people easier access to special beers that aren't bottled or canned by smaller brewing operations, he said.

Stores in the 35 states that allow retailers other than breweries or restaurants to sell growlers typically opt for the 64-ounce size, which fills about 4-5 glasses. The Missouri bills would allow growlers up to 128 ounces, though Ronald Leone, the executive director of Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, predicts a "fairly limited" number of convenience stores would take advantage of that option.

Craft beer sales rose roughly 18 percent in 2014 in the U.S., while overall beer sales increased only 0.5 percent, according to chief economist Bart Watson of the Brewers Association, a Colorado-based trade group that represents most of the nation's 3,200 breweries.

An alternative to the large-scale brewery that started in St. Louis, craft brews have become increasingly popular and often have unique flavors, from fruits to hot peppers.

"You have considerable interest in both non-American light lager beer styles and the idea of locally brewed beer," said St. Louis-based Schlafly Beer co-founder Dan Kopman, who also is president of the Missouri Small Brewers Guild. "It's a significant growth area for the national economy, and that has trickled down to our state."

Missouri had 49 breweries that produced almost 300,000 barrels of beer a year in 2013.

Similar measures to expand use of growlers in Missouri have failed in past sessions, in part because of quality concerns from brewers. But Cornejo, a Republican from St. Peters, said new regulations on how to clean filling equipment and a requirement that stores only fill growlers as requested have garnered support from some hesitant brewers.

Stu Burkemper, the "chief beer guy" for Columbia's Rockbridge Brewing Co., also said requiring a tamper-proof seal on the growlers could prevent buyers from drinking them on the way home.

No one spoke against the House measure during a February public hearing, and Cornejo said chances of the bill passing are "better than 50/50" this year.

Growler bills are HB 279, SB 312.

Online:

House: http://www.house.mo.gov

Senate: http://www.senate.mo.gov

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