Sep
25
2007
“Georgia on my Mind”
Posted on 21:08, September 25th, 2007 by Al
Or maybe that should be “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”.
Georgia is not a state for beer enthusiasts. A decade ago there were eight breweries in Georgia. Now, there are three. Colorado, with half the population, has 44 breweries.
And it could get worse.
Fortune Small Business: Georgia breweries dry up
New rules governing brewery tours could reduce that number to zero, says Fred Bensch, owner of Sweetwater Brewing (sweetwaterbrew.com) in Atlanta, by driving away thirsty crowds and eliminating the brewers’ best marketing tool.
“This would totally cripple us,” he says. The dispute has been fermenting since May, when the Georgia Department of Revenue proposed limiting tastings to two ounces per brew. Under pressure, the revenuers raised the limit to 24 ounces, but with stipulations: Breweries can’t serve samples until tours are over, they can’t pour any beer if they charge admission (Sweetwater charges $8), and Sunday tastings are verboten.
It seems the entire Southeastern United States, excepting perhaps, Asheville, North Carolina, is rather hostile toward beer and alcohol. I guess none of us should be surprised that the NeoProhibitionists are so strong in the Bible Belt.
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Comments
This stands in stark contrast to your previous post about the Maryland brewfest. My what a difference several hundred miles makes.
To true. But the worst is that Georgia ranks right behind Louisiana as the best states in the south for finding decent beer. Mississippi and Alabama are the worst with laws that outlaw any beer over 6% ABV (and Bama even limits any non-keg container of beer to something like 16oz or less).
Welcome to the American Taliban. “We think drinking is a sin, therefore we won’t allow you to do it!”
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