Wine Beer & Spirits

Liquor producers allowed to offer more variety at lounges in breweries, wineries, distilleries, and cideries

by Charlie Smith on July 28th, 2015 at 12:11 PM
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      The latest provincial liquor reform enables brewery lounges to sell wine, spirits, and cider. And winery lounges are allowed to sell beer, spirits and cider.

      That's because the new measure shatters the restriction forcing these establishments to sell their own products in licensed lounges or special-event areas.

      According to a government news release, lounges and special-event areas in cideries and distilleries will also be permitted to offer a variety of options.

      "How many British Columbians have been on a cidery tour and wanted to buy a B.C. wine at one of their stops and been turned away?" Justice Minister Suzanne Anton said in the news release. "How many people have held a wedding at a winery and been forced to apply and pay for a special occasion licence because they knew some of their guests would want to have a beer or a mixed drink? Well, as of today, these issues are a thing of the past."

      The announcement came five days after the B.C. NDP launched an online petition criticizing Anton and the B.C. Liberal government for a "stealth beer tax".

      "After promising voters repeatedly that changes to the liquor pricing system would not impact retail pricing, nearly 90 per cent of B.C. beer listings show a significant price increase since Anton’s changes took effect," the NDP stated. "In return? Craft brewers have received nothing from the Liquor Distribution Branch to support this growing industry."

      Meanwhile, Vancouver beer-industry lawyer and blogger Carlos Mendes has called the government's announcement a "fantastic development" and a "natural fit for many of my clients and friends in the industry".

      "This change will permit B.C.'s craft breweries to offer guest taps, and serve wine, spirits or cider," Mendes told the Straight. "With the service of alcohol produced off-site, I think that brewery lounges will become even more inclusive. The collaborations between craft breweries, food trucks, and local food and nonalcoholic beverage producers have already gone a long way to establish brewery lounges as important community meeting spaces."

      Comments

      2 Comments

      Sam Adams

      Jul 28, 2015 at 2:16pm

      I really don't see the point of this legislation, from a beer perspective I don't think that adding the ability to sell cider (which some breweries already do i.e. Central City or 33 Acres), wine (Postmark) or spirits (which Central City and Deep Cove) will have a substantial impact on the bottom line of nano - micro breweries. Have breweries been losing customers to bars or pubs because of their inability to sell other product, I think the answer is no.

      Anton and the Liberals are once again showing that they have no clue how to do liquor reform.

      O RLY?

      Jul 29, 2015 at 3:30pm

      Just a reminder, alcohol is a neurotoxin, we should not be adopting policies that increase alcohol consumption!