CO growler laws

Discussion in 'Pacific' started by imperialbeerdude, Jan 16, 2014.

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  1. imperialbeerdude

    imperialbeerdude Initiate (0) Feb 5, 2012 Colorado

    Is there anything we can do to push new growler laws for CO? I for one would enjoy going to a tap room and getting a fill of out of state beers. Who's with me?
     
  2. ssteigerwald

    ssteigerwald Initiate (0) Mar 4, 2010 Colorado
    Trader

    I'll tell you what I'd really like to see; growler fills at the liquor store. They do this in New York (and I'm sure other states) and it's wonderful.
     
  3. coreymcafee

    coreymcafee Initiate (0) May 30, 2006 Colorado

    Same in Washington...you can order a glass of beer while you're shopping as well...
     
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  4. alexipa

    alexipa Initiate (0) Oct 7, 2011 Colorado

    Yep, this is awesome in Washington and Portland. Grab a beer, walk around and shop, fill a growler to go all in the same place.

    It also promotes craft beer-only shops since they'll generate much more revenue from that specialization, which I would much prefer to the gigantically huge sell-all beverage centers we have now.

    As far as what we can do to promote this... I have no idea.
     
  5. imperialbeerdude

    imperialbeerdude Initiate (0) Feb 5, 2012 Colorado

    Any lawyers or politicians on here?
     
  6. ucsbmullet

    ucsbmullet Initiate (0) Oct 5, 2011 Colorado

    I was impressed with the Whole Foods in Santa Rosa, CA, this past summer. They had 10-12 taps of local craft in a tiny bar the middle of the store and sold bottles of Pliny for 4.59.
     
  7. dauss

    dauss Pooh-Bah (1,730) Aug 9, 2003 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    The Brewers Association and the Colorado Brewers Guild have lobbying arms.
     
  8. DenverBigRed

    DenverBigRed Initiate (0) Jul 29, 2006 Colorado

    Total Wine in Vegas has a growler station. It was fantastic. I so want that here.
     
  9. imperialbeerdude

    imperialbeerdude Initiate (0) Feb 5, 2012 Colorado

    Any lawyers or politicians on here?
    I'm serious about this guys, let's get working on this. I'll hit up both via email or phone call soon.
     
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  10. ablackshear

    ablackshear Zealot (671) Sep 17, 2010 Minnesota

    There's a place I go in Idaho every year around xmas, excellent bottle shop with 4-5 taps, you can have a beer while you shop and take a growler to go.

    Same thing at Whole Foods in Milwaukee
     
  11. dauss

    dauss Pooh-Bah (1,730) Aug 9, 2003 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    While we're at it, I'd like to see beers from other breweries at breweries.
     
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  12. Ratman197

    Ratman197 Pundit (875) Aug 11, 2007 Colorado

    It happens. Black Sky, Colorado Plus, Kokopelli and trinity are four Colorado examples.
     
  13. ASak10

    ASak10 Initiate (0) Jan 2, 2014 Colorado

    Lawyer here, doubt I can really help though since I do civil litigation stuff.
     
  14. imperialbeerdude

    imperialbeerdude Initiate (0) Feb 5, 2012 Colorado

    any buddies that can?
     
  15. ASak10

    ASak10 Initiate (0) Jan 2, 2014 Colorado

    I'll ask around, I do know one guy who works closely with lobbyists and politicians on certain issues, so while he won't be able to help, he might know how the "players" are in that arena.
     
  16. imperialbeerdude

    imperialbeerdude Initiate (0) Feb 5, 2012 Colorado

    sounds good
     
  17. RKP1967

    RKP1967 Savant (1,126) Sep 26, 2010 Virginia

    I'm from VA where growler laws are good.

    What's wrong with the growler laws in CO? What are they? Just curious cuz i will be visiting in July.
     
  18. ssteigerwald

    ssteigerwald Initiate (0) Mar 4, 2010 Colorado
    Trader

    Brewery only, otherwise not much wrong imo.
     
  19. dauss

    dauss Pooh-Bah (1,730) Aug 9, 2003 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Those are brewpubs though.
     
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  20. spoony

    spoony Pooh-Bah (2,517) Aug 1, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I, too, am the wrong kind of lawyer for this (is there ever the right kind of lawyer?), but I have dabbled in politics and have a wife that works in politics. The key to changing any law is to find some motivated group of people with money or time to back your cause. Money works because you can pay somebody to talk to legislators or time works because you can talk to legislators, yourself. Rich housewives are particularly well-suited to getting their pet legislative projects passed.

    Assuming you are talking about expanding growler sales to the same locations where bottled liquor and full-strength beer can currently be purchased, it seems like the liquor store lobby (the CLBA) would stand to gain from growler sales. They can be found here: http://www.myclba.com/

    The problem is, if you allow only liquor stores to do growler fills, the grocery store lobby (the Colorado Retail Council) and, possibly, the brewery lobby, would try to kill the legislation because it would be another product that the groceries couldn't sell and it would cut into the brewery monopoly on growler fills.

    Conversely, if you allow groceries to sell growlers, the CLBA would try to kill it because it would eat into their monopoly on full-strength liquor sales.

    The tavern owners might bitch about it, too. Their argument would be: We'll lose customers because instead of coming to my bar for beers, people will just buy growlers at the liquor/grocery store.

    In the past ten years, the grocery and liquor store groups have been at war with each other every other legislative session over the sale of full-strength beer in grocery stores. I suspect that it might be tough to get one of them distracted from that larger fight to focus their respective money or time on growler sales.

    Anyway, some the players are identified (complete with terrible pictures) in this article: http://www.coloradostatesman.com/content/993895-another-beer-bill-tap-legislature
     
    #20 spoony, Jan 17, 2014
    Last edited: Jan 17, 2014
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