Bent Brewstillery is on a mission to change the state law to allow Minnesota brewery distilleries — or a combo brewstillery, as we like to call ourselves — to have a brewery taproom and distillery cocktail room under the same ownership and same location.
But just like the battle to allow Sunday sales in Minnesota, this is going to be a fight that needs the support of many of the craft drink community. That’s why we’re asking for you to help us by donating now so we can lead the charge for the change and improvement to state liquors laws. We will be working with a paid lobbyist to write a new law and approaching state law makers to get them onboard to vote for this new law.
“We’re not trying to change the world — just Minnesota,” said Owner and Head Brewstiller Bartley Blume.
According to MN Statute 340A.22 Subd. 2 (e), “No single entity may hold both a cocktail room and taproom license, and a cocktail room and taproom may not be co-located.”
As you may already know, Bent Brewstillery is a brewery and distillery in Roseville, Minn., and the first single-entity brewery distillery to operate in Minnesota. With being the first comes many challenges, including changing irrelevant laws and working with a powerful liquor lobby that fights to keep these laws unchanged.
This liquor control group fails to realize that changing laws has led to great expansion of their industry. The cocktail rooms fuel the demand for the products in bars, restaurants, and liquor stores. Customers try it at the cocktail room, and then seek it out at their favorite retailer. We noticed this phenomenon first-hand with our beer. Once our taproom opened, demand for our beer grew exponentially. It’s really a harmonious relationship set on getting customers the beer and spirits they want.
All Minnesota distilleries are allowed to have a cocktail room to serve their hand-made spirit products.
Why not Bent Brewstillery too?
Your generous donation will help fund our endeavors to change these laws and give you the right to enjoy a delicious Bent Brewstillery cocktail along with your tasty Bent Brewstillery beer. Patrons such as yourself should have the choice to have one or the other at one location — or both, if you’re the adventurous type.
Join our fight to create The Brewstillery Tap-Tail Room Law for us and all other brewstilleries to come later.
Besides backing our endeavor with a generous gift, if you live in Minnesota, please also consider writing to your state representative.
Click Here (https://www.gis.leg.mn/iMaps/districts/) and type in your zip code to find your state representative. Click to that representative's page to find contact info. Phone calls are great; letters are great.
The easiest way is to click on the email link and write them an email. Write from the heart, in your own words. Tell your representative you would like to enjoy a locally-crafted cocktail, made from locally-crafted spirits at your locally-crafted Brewstillery source — just like the micro-breweries, wineries, and micro-distilleries offer. Feel free to copy and paste any text you find here.
Thank you for your support!
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