Macon Beer Co. owners share frustrations with secretary of state | Business | Macon.com

Because Georgia has what’s called a “three-tier system,” Macon Beer Co. can’t set up a bar at its headquarters and simply sell beer by the glass like a regular pub. Nor can the company sell directly to a restaurant or bar that wants to carry one of the company’s three flavors. (A fourth will be introduced next month during Bragg Jam.)

Beer has to go from the brewer to a wholesaler, who then sells it to a retailer. That creates an extra set of logistical problems for both his own company and the wholesaler, Knowles said.

He said that for the Rookery on Cherry Street to buy beer from Macon Beer, the beer has to be shipped to Atlanta and then delivered back to Macon, even though the restaurant and brewer are just a few blocks apart.

Knowles and Smith pointed out that North Carolina, which has eased up on its regulations, has seen an increase in the number of microbreweries. Conversely, Florida has increased its regulation, driving many microbrewers from the state.

via Macon Beer Co. owners share frustrations with secretary of state | Business | Macon.com.