The Marietta City Council voted 7-0 last week in favor of approving the sale of a vacant property to Red Hare Brewery, making it the latest Atlanta brewery to lay down roots in town. The announcment of its plans to open a 25,000 square foot facility in Marietta on Delk Industrial Boulevard was greeted warmly by Mayor Steve Tumlin, who said of the move, “We live in an era where local craft beer is very popular, so having that at one of our main streets that hasn’t had anything for years — we’re very excited about it,” Red Hare already owned a smaller location in Cobb County, but the new expansion will include a tasting room as well as a brewery, making it a hotspot for fans of local beers.
Red Hare is the latest of a number of small breweries that have grown throughout the city, such as Orpheus, Wild Heaven, Red Brick, Monday Night Brewing, and of course Sweetwater, which is known nationwide for its variety of brews. Georgia though, despite its growth, still lags behind some neighboring states in terms of friendliness to breweries.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signed a bill this month which allows for food sales at breweries, a change which supporters say will enable local breweries to expand their businesses and hire more employees. The bill, named the ‘Stone Bill’ after California based Stone Brewing, was first drawn up in an attempt to lure the company to South Carolina. Although the brewery eventually decided to remain out West, the bill was still pushed through the house as an example of how deregulating the industry would allow businesses to thrive.
The bill follows up on the ‘Pint Bill’, passed last year, which increased the amount of beer local breweries were allowed to sell for consumption on site.
Georgia’s own laws are a bit more restrictive. They do not allow for beer to be sold on site for consumption at breweries, (a restriction circumvented by making visitors pay for a glass, and then ‘giving away’ samples) nor do they allow for beer to be sold for off-premises consumption. Local supporters hope the state will follow in the footsteps of our northern neighbor in the future, lifting some of the regulation and allowing breweries more freedom in marketing themselves to the ever growing number of craft-beer fans.
Expect to see similar legislation come up in Georgia 2015, as pro-brewery groups are already working to level the playing field with surrounding states for an industry that continues to boom not only in Atlanta, but across the state.
