HB 2277 Summary

• Adds small breweries and small brewery tap rooms as eligible participants in beer festivals and allows small breweries holding distribution permits to accept and hold beers from out-of-state breweries and distributors for pouring at beer festivals.

• Defines "small brewery tap room" as an off-premises retail site located in a wet territory holding a small brewery license, and defines "front-of-house employee" to clarify roles not involved in production or transportation.

• Authorizes small breweries to operate up to two (2) small brewery tap rooms and allows them to maintain one separate brewing facility for production or storage, with transportation permitted between commonly owned facilities.

• Allows small breweries to distribute beer, malt beverages, and hard cider to retail license holders if total production from all facilities under common ownership does not exceed 15,000 barrels per year, requiring annual documentation and a $250 annual wholesale permit fee.

• Permits small brewery tap rooms to sell beer and hard cider produced by the small brewer for on-premises and off-premises consumption, and allows sale of non-produced beer, hard cider, and wine for on-premises consumption only; authorizes tap rooms to operate restaurants.