Down the drain: Castle Danger dumps beer as it pushes to free the growler Some legislators agree on ending a cap on beer sold to-go. January 29, 2021 8:55pm Text size Copy shortlink: That s just sad, said Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia, as he watched the golden liquid flow.
He and two other lawmakers visited the Two Harbors taproom on Friday to hear a plea from the state s largest breweries, who are again asking the Legislature to let them sell growlers.
Breweries that produce more than 20,000 barrels of beer in a year are prohibited from selling the to-go containers under state law. Lon Larson, co-owner of Castle Danger, said this rule forced layoffs and waste when COVID-19 caused his taproom to close for months. The brewery has dumped 920 kegs since March.
Six local breweries are seeking removal of the “growler cap,” legislation that prohibits breweries that have reached a certain level of success from selling large containers of beer directly to consumers. The recently formed Alliance of Minnesota Craft Breweries, including Schell’s, Surly, Castle Danger, Fulton, Indeed, and Lift Bridge, aims to remove the 20,000-barrel cap on selling growlers, calling it a punishment against Minnesota small businesses for succeeding.
The law requires Minnesota breweries to either sell growlers on-site and keep production small or continue to grow, but curb direct sales to consumers. One of the breweries to smack into these restrictions was Castle Danger up the North Shore.
Alliance of Minnesota Craft Breweries launches 'Free the Growler' campaign to boost pandemic sales bizjournals.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bizjournals.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.