A new bill could help Delaware craft breweries and liquor stores tap into a new way to sell beer in the First State.
State Representative Debra Heffernan (D-Bellefonte, Claymont, Edgemoor) is introducing legislation that will allow Delaware liquor stores to fill and sell half-gallon sized glass or porcelain containers of draft beer called growlers on site.
Currently, growlers can only be sold at Delaware breweries and their respective brewpubs.
Under the bill unveiled by Heffernan at Peco Liquors in Brandywine Hundred Thursday, liquor stores would be able to purchase a two year permit to fill, cap and sell growlers to-go for $150.
Heffernan feels the bill would help Delaware compete with neighboring Pennsylvania and New Jersey who already allow growler sales in liquor stores.
"Right now, you can drive over to the Pennsylvania line and fill up a growler of Dogfish Head at Whole Foods in Glen Mills, but in Delaware you have to drive to Milton or Rehoboth Beach to get a growler of the same beer," said Heffernan.
She adds that allowing growler fills in liquor stores will help the stores and breweries increase their sales and grow their customer base, an "economic development win-win for everyone involved."
"It's a great opportunity for liquor stores, but also for craft breweries to get their fresh beer tasted by more people in Delaware," Heffernan says. "Delaware has nine craft breweries. That's a big deal for small Delaware: more tourism, and also in a way that someone might say 'I've never been to 16 Mile.' After they've had a growler of it they might decide to drive down there, or down to Milton for Dogfish Head."
The craft-brewing industry has grown significantly recently, seeing almost eleven and a half million barrels of sales in 2011. The industry has seen an almost tenfold increase since 2001, and now represents more than 5.5 percent of the domestic beer market by volume.
"Craft beer demand has grown by double-digits every year for the past five to six years," says Peco Liquors' owner Ed Mulvahill. "People want fresh beer, they want to be able to have access to it, and especially with hard to find beers which may only be available on tap, this is a great opportunity for them to pick that up in a retail setting."
Local breweries like Greenville's Twin Lakes Brewery see the bill as a potential springboard to growth.
"It's going to really give us some brand awareness and hopefully some greater sales in the long run," says Twin Lakes CEO Sam Hobbs. "It's also going to help grow our company. The more we sell, the more we need produce which means the more we need to hire, so it's quite exciting for us and it's a good start."
Heffernan expects the bill will face little opposition in the General Assembly.
"We have a lot of bi-partisan support, a lot of support from the liquor stores, liquor industries and craft-brewers, so I feel very confident about it," said Rep. Heffernan. "It's great for Delaware."
Hobbs agrees.
"I think its going to pass," Hobbs insisted. "We've got great breweries and some of the great brew pubs as well. It's exciting its going to happen here in Delaware and I think they are going to push it right through. It's a no-brainer."