Gov. Kasich signs small brewery legislation into law

Beer fans, take note: Governor Kasich is on your side.

This week Governor Kasich signed Senate Bill 48 into law, lowering the amount that small breweries must pay for their annual licensing fee from $3,906 to $1000. The bill creates a new permit specifically for small breweries, defined as those making less than 31 million gallons of beer per year.

The bill was introduced by Republican State Senator Troy Balderson of Zanesville.

“As a small business owner myself, I know how time consuming and costly excessive regulation can be for our job creators,” Sen. Balderson said in a statement. “This is a very simple piece of legislation that cuts significant red tape for both local and chain restaurants.”

The only two breweries in Ohio who do not qualify for the new small brewery permit are Anheuser-Busch in Columbus and Miller Coors in Trenton. Predictably, these two companies strongly opposed the new legislation.

“We are very disappointed that this legislation will now become law, and remain concerned about the manner in which this anti free market legislation was introduced and passed,” Anheuser-Busch said in a statement. The company was additionally concerned about an amendment to the bill that was added late in the committee process which prohibits large brewers, such as Anheuser-Busch, from having any financial stake in wholesale distribution.

The legislation will also expedite the transfer of liquor permits in an attempt to lift regulations on small businesses. Most exciting to beer fans, however, is a provision in the new law that allows brewers to open tasting rooms within a half-mile of their facilities.

This is a guest post by Emily Baselt. Emily is a writer, blogger, and professional bar-goer who writes about politics by day and drinking by night.