• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Connecticut Craft Beer is a cool idea, farm brewery bill moves through state congress

April 10, 2017Keith Gribbins

hop yard sunshine
Insert ubiquitous hop yard image. Check.

I truly feel regionalized products will have an edge in a shopping experience that increasingly favors cheap, mass produced, online and easy. Beer will be no different. MillerCoors is ready to restock your fridge in an hour with the simple push of a button, and that might as well be beer for robots. With more than 5,300 breweries operating in the United States with exactly one zillion unique brands on the shelves, product differentiation (along with quality) will be imperative to compete with cheap, mass produced, online and easy. Brands that can share a compelling backstory are going to succeed, and what story is better than local — born here, proud of it, support our neighbors, fight for the environment, make tasty suds too.

Bill 5928 seeks to give Connecticut farms a unique sort of regionalized edge. The bill, which just passed the Connecticut House of Representatives last week, is aimed at promoting the growing of hops and barley in Connecticut by creating a farm brewery manufacturer permit. The House voted unanimously last Wednesday for a bill authorizing farmers to bottle and sell up to 50,000 gallons of beer that they brew on their farms annually. The beer may even be advertised and sold as “Connecticut Craft Beer” if at least 25 percent of their beer’s ingredients are grown in the state. That’s pretty cool, right?

But here’s a suggestion: Why not let any craft brewery in the state market the term Connecticut Craft Beer if they use 25 percent of their ingredients from in-state growers?

We quote the Connecticut Post:

[Also] Brewers would be able to sell individual consumers up to 7 liters each at farmer’s markets.

Rep. Richard A. Smith, R-New Fairfield, ranking member of the legislative General Law Committee, which recommended the bill, recalled the state’s long agricultural history, then quipped: “This is a good beer and I urge my colleagues to support it.”

NOW, I don’t know if that’s a typo — “good beer” vs. “good bill” — but it’s a great Freudian slip either way. Brands with Connecticut Craft Beer should feel bonafide when sitting on the shelf next to out-of-state competitors, and we love the idea of supporting regionally-grown products. Other states should take notice.

Malt maker Rahr purchases all of eco energy maker Koda
rustic-brew-farm
Ohio’s Rustic Brew Farm now selling sprouted grain flours
CraftMaltCon
Craft Malt Conference goes virtual in February, here’s the agenda
Haas-FLEX hops
HAAS adds these six new hops to its portfolio

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Beer rebrands continue: Ballast Point, Fremont, New Glory and Blue Point (also, enjoy some tips for your refresh)
  • Colorado Strong launches public awareness campaign to help independent breweries
  • Here’s a video recap of 2020 from Deep Ellum Brewing, complete with dubstep score
  • Malt maker Rahr purchases all of eco energy maker Koda

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • Beer rebrands continue: Ballast Point, Fremont, New Glory and Blue Point (also, enjoy some tips for your refresh)
    January 21, 2021
  • virginia-beer-co-renovationHow Virginia Beer Co. used the shutdown to overhaul its facility (and keep people employed)
    January 19, 2021
  • Clean air, clean beer: New Ingersoll Rand oil-less reciprocating air compressors are ideal for breweries (aeration to canning)
    January 18, 2021
  • Non-alcoholic beer brand Athletic Brewing closes $17M+ in funding with famous backers, selects Crafted ERP, eyes big growth
    January 18, 2021
  • Watch: This awareness video on human trafficking from beer wholesaler Markstein Sales will move you to action
    January 14, 2021
  • Distribution updates: Massachusetts brewers celebrate franchise reform, Yuengling goes to Texas with Molson Coors and more from Bell’s, Stone and beyond
    January 14, 2021

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2021 · CBB Media LLC

Continue ...

sponsored by