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The
industry was pushing for passage of the Brewers Economic and
Equity Relief Act, or BEER Act, a bill supporters say was
designed to help craft breweries modernize and recover from the
effects of the pandemic.
The bill is headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk, minus the
permanent home delivery and direct-to-consumer beer shipping
provisions.
“Those are two important provisions that we weren’t able to gain
support of or reach an agreement with the beer distributors on,”
said Danielle D’Alessandro, executive director for the Illinois
Craft Brewers Guild.
The legislation secures new and expanded privileges for
breweries and brewpubs, most of which classify as
independently-owned small businesses.
The bill creates a new license for Illinois craft beer
producers, the Class 3 Brewer, which includes all privileges of
a Brewpub license but adds self-distribution. Class 3 Brewers
may produce up to 5,000 barrels annually and self-distribute up
to 200 barrels with no geographic limitations.
The legislation will also codify the ability for craft beer,
wine or spirits makers who produce more than one type of product
to self-distribute. Previously, a craft brewery that also
operated a distillery would lose the self-distribution
privileges that it qualified for under its craft brewers’
license.
“I really see this as an opportunity now for brewers to be
innovative and creative,” D’Allesandro said.
The new law will allow breweries to offer permanent curbside
pickup for customers.
The craft beer industry has exploded in recent years, with small
breweries and brewpubs popping up all over Illinois and all over
the country. As of January, there were nearly 300 craft
breweries in Illinois.
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