Growlers to-go in the MO



Have you ever been at the bar and needed to go home, but wanted to keep drinking? But then you realize that your fridge is empty and the liquor store is closed? Or, the store is open, but you are simply too lazy to make the side trip and drag yourself out of the car an extra time on the way home? Well now you are in luck (hopefully)!

Assuming no veto is given, the Missouri Senate Committee will pass a House Bill on 7/14 at midnight that says:

"Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any restaurant bar without an on-site brewery that serves [forty-five] twenty or more different types of draft beer may sell thirty-two fluid ounces or more of such beer to customers for consumption off the premises of such bar or tavern.  As used in this section, the term "restaurant bar" means any establishment having a restaurant or similar facility on the premises at least fifty percent of the gross income of which is derived from the sale of prepared meals or food consumed on such premises."

In layman's terms, bars that sell food and have 20 or more taps will be able to sell you 32 ounce growlers to go. Previously, the ability to sell growlers was limited to brewpubs, so 75th Street Brewery and McCoy's were really the only options in town to grab a jug-o-beer. This new bill opens up the door for places like The Foundry, Flying Saucer, Swagger and many others to sell beer for customers to take home.

At first glance, it would seem that this is a huge benefit for these businesses because it provides a new means for them to make quick sales and move product more quickly. And, depending on who you talk to, this is also a benefit for the beer drinker, who will see a huge increase in the number of options for (presumably) fresh draft beer to take home. Of course, there are those out there who argue that growlers can easily compromise beer quality and often aren't the best representative of what the brewery intended, but that's an entirely different post in itself.

With this step forward, I'll be interested to see how successful growler sales are and if Missouri ever decides to expand the law to include growler sales at retail establishments like liquor and convenience stores. There are a few states that are already doing this like New York, New Jersey and Washington, and earlier this year a bill was proposed in Minnesota to do the same. Of course, a bill expansion/addition like that would be a LONG way off, but it's something to think about as time goes on.

So keep your eyes and ears open on Sunday morning to get a definitive answer as to whether you'll be able to start purchasing growlers in Missouri. To celebrate this occasion, enjoy the video below of a Spongebob-loving British guy with a weird haircut teaching you how to do death growls. I highly recommend the 1:53 mark:




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