NJ Brewery Bill – We’re finally ending Prohibition.

It was a long battle against Governor Murphy’s tyrannical forces at the New Jersey Alcohol Beverage Control, but our diligent Craft Brewery Owners have finally struck a blow to the prohibition-style 2019 “Special Ruling.” Governor Murphy’s “Special Ruling” specially targeted and stunted the growth of the craft beer community. The 2019 ruling placed extreme restrictions on brewery operations.

Why did our governor, and his bureaucrats in the NJABC impose the 2019 Special Ruling? Popular speculation is that these tiny microbreweries posed a threat to the deep-pocked restaurant lobby. Now that his authoritarian grip on these small businesses has been quashed (unanimously) by our state legislation, breweries are new free’er than they have been since 2019.

With the signing of legislation S-4265/A5912, commonly known as the Brewery Bill, NJ breweries can operate like a normal brewery. Here are just a few highlights on what I mean by that.

Key Highlights of the Brewery Bill:

Snacks & NA Beverages: Breweries may now offer “de minimis food items” such as chips, nuts, and crackers. Additionally, NA beverages do not need to be brewed on site.
Collaboration with Outside Vendors: The Brewery Bill allows breweries to coordinate with external vendors, such as restaurants and food trucks. I wish I was kidding. The 2019 Special Ruling prevented two small businesses from talking to each other!
Unlimited Onsite Events and Private Parties: Previously, breweries were limited to just 25 events (think Trivia, sporting events, themed parties, live music) per year. With S4265/A5912 signed into legislation, breweries can now host unlimited onsite events and private parties. This will create a much livelier and more engaging atmosphere.
Off-Site: The Brewery Bill also enables breweries to participate in up to 25 off-site events, such as beer festivals. In addition, they can participate in an additional 25 Social affairs (like fundraisers). Off-site promotions of this nature will greatly increase the community presence of small breweries.
More TVs, More Sports: For breweries that wish to host more sport related events, they can now display sports on any number of TV’s of any size. Previously, breweries were restricted to just two, 65-inch TV’s. Thanks to #3 above, breweries will also no longer be required to obtain special permits and permission from the ABC.
No More Mandatory Tours: Ok, we’re maybe going to miss this one a little. Well, mostly we’re going to miss all of the creative solutions breweries came up with to skirt the silliness of this rule. There was Muckrakers crayon drawing and Riverhorse’s picture-viewer toy tours! In 2019, the ABC said that brewery visits must be educational, therefore tours are required prior to consumption. However, the new Brewery Bill eliminates this requirement!

There is also a provision for a farm brewery license in this new bill! These new farm breweries will operate in a similar fashion to a NJ winery. The farm brewery license grants holders the freedom to craft up to 2,500 barrels of malt alcoholic beverages annually. But what sets it apart is that the brewery must be on a tract of land exclusively controlled by a licensee actively engaged in farming nearby. Additionally, the caveat is that the malt beverages must be substantially produced from hops or other ingredients grown on that land.

Farm brewery licensees can sell their crafted beers directly to consumers for “off-site” enjoyment, but they can only offer extremely small samples (1.5 oz) of their product. So, it will not be that farm-to-taproom experience that we had hoped for.

In closing, the signing of the Brewery Bill marks a pivotal step in the right direction for the state’s craft beer industry. By removing these ridiculous hurdles created by unelected bureaucrats, this new legislation should propel local breweries into a new era of creativity and community engagement.

Speaking of more events, have you ever wanted to try DnD? Well now you can at your local brewery!