Sunday Sales Slips Into the Senate

HORRAY. It's in. Introduced Version, Senate Bill 0120. Put into play by Sens. Ron Alting, R-Lafayette and Vi Simpson of Bloomington. Thanks Ron. It'll go to the Committee on Commerce and Public Policy & Interstate Cooperation instead of the Trent Van Haaften's Public Policy committee (he's against the bill).

Synopsis: Sunday sales for microbreweries. Allows a microbrewery to sell the brewery's beer for carryout on Sunday. It adds the bold text below:

(7) The holder of a brewer's permit or an out-of-state brewer holding either a primary source of supply permit or an out-of-state brewer's permit may do the following:

(5) If the brewer's brewery manufactures not more than twenty thousand (20,000) barrels of beer in a calendar year, do the following:

(I) Sell the brewery's beer as authorized by this section for carryout on Sunday in a quantity at any one (1) time of not more than one-quarter (1/4) barrel, but the beer may be contained in bottles or other permissible containers.

If it passes - on Sundays, growlers and (for all practical purposes) 1/6th bbl kegs will be able to be sold at brewpubs and production brewery tasting rooms (Sun King, Back Road, Crown, Great Crescent, Figure 8, Peoples). Also at satellite pubs owned by the brewery (Mishawaka, Mad Anthony, Ram, Upland, Barley Island, Turoni's).

The out-of-state clause allows BJ's and Granite City in on the action.

The Fiscal Impact Statement prepared for this bill says "To the extent that this bill increases alcoholic beverage sales, collections of alcoholic beverage excise taxes could increase. Any impact on Sales Tax revenue is expected to be minimal since any additional purchases of alcohol would likely reduce consumer spending on other sales taxable items."

Contact your Congresscritter.

Article in the Bloomington HeraldTimes. Article in Indy.com.