Category: beer laws

Legislative Alert for Beer Lovers

By on May 14, 2009in beer laws, breweries

Thank you to the breweries and brewpubs that have already sent this information out to their distribution lists. In case the information hasn’t made it to you yet, keep reading.

There is a proposed tax increase on MN breweries working its way through the legislature and we need your help to stop it!

Breweries producing more than 25,000 barrels of beer a year currently pay $4.60 per barrel in excise tax to the state. The proposed legislation raises this amount to $11.21 per barrel (an increase of 144%).

Minnesota is already taxed much higher than our neighboring states Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Believe it or not our alcohol sales tax is already higher than both Boston and New York City!

For the full alert and additional details from the Minnesota Craft Brewer’s Guild, please click here.

More Tax on Beer in Minnesota? No Thanks…

By on May 9, 2009in beer laws

I’m all for paying my fair share with taxes and am of the persuasion that taxes aren’t inherently evil per se, but 40% of what Minnesotans now pay for beer already goes to taxes. The legislature recently passed a bill that more than doubles the tax on beer as well as the sales tax on alcohol. Ugh. From what I’m told, we’re already pay more taxes on beer in Minnesota than all bordering states – 20% higher than South Dakota, 22% higher than North Dakota, 33% higher than Iowa and 81% higher than Wisconsin.

Contact your legislator… taxes go up, yeah, but double?!

http://www.stopthemndrinktax.com

PedalPub News

By on July 7, 2008in beer laws

I ran into one of the PedalPub owners, Al Boyce, today outside of The Happy Gnome this afternoon. Al was happy to inform me that PedalPub tours in both Minneapolis and St. Paul now allow alcohol on board. Look for more cool news from the PedalPub soon…

Pedal Pubs Now Legal

By on May 15, 2008in beer laws

The legislature passed, and the governor signed into law, some changes to the state’s liquor laws Thursday. The most notable change, at least to this follower, legalizes pedal pubs to operate on streets and in parks, gives pedal pubs the same rights as limos and party buses with regard to consumption in public. Woo hoo! Oh yeah, you may have also heard that bars can now stay open until 4 a.m. during the Republican National Convention.  

The entire bill can be viewed here.

Used keg sales may soon be regulated

By on March 14, 2008in beer laws

the-minnesota-state-capitol-building-s.jpgWant to sell that empty Miller Lite keg to a scrap metal dealer? You better do it quick, because it could soon be illegal. A bill to prohibit scrap metal dealers from buying or receiving a keg from anyone but a brewery, keg manufacturer, or their representative passed a key State Senate committee on Wednesday.  Senate File 3455, authored by Sen. Jim Metzen (DFL-South St. Paul), will be voted on by the full Senate sometime in the next few weeks. The House version has yet to receive a hearing.