Beneficiaries include microbreweries that sometimes have few other ways to advertise. "One of the big benefits of a tasting is it allows a brewer to make a face-to-face connection [image-nocss] with the person enjoying the beer," Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association, told the newspaper. Tastings also can give an edge to larger breweries with the staff to make the rounds, he said.
Vermont started allowing beer tastings last year, one year after authorizing similar events for wine, said George Bergin, owner of the Beverage Warehouse in Winooski, Vt. "Beer tastings are probably our most popular events, more so than wine," he told the paper. "We will have people standing in line for four hours to try beer."
In other states:
Washington state is nearing the end of a year-long pilot program for 30 grocery stores. Most have offered wine and skipped beer, liquor control board spokesperson Brian Smith told USA Today. But Washington Brewers Guild President Heather McClung predicted that brewers will join in if the Legislature approves tastings statewide next year. Texas legislators authorized wine and beer tastings at grocery stores in 2007, according to Thomas Graham, marketing practices supervisor for the state's Alcoholic Beverage Commission. New York began beer tastings in 2007, Bill Crowley, spokesperson for the State Liquor Authority, told the paper. Oregon, Florida and South Dakota also allow beer tastings in grocery stores, according to state alcohol officials. North Carolina's Senate and House have approved slightly different bills setting up the same permit process for beer as for wine. The bill awaits final House approval and Democratic Governor Bev Perdue's signature, the report said.
Few North Carolina lawmakers have opposed the bipartisan effort to allow beer tastings, despite some objections, said the report. Mark Creech of the Christian Action League of North Carolina said beer, unlike wine, is the beverage of choice for underage drinkers.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.