Instead of working on what I just told Tim I'd be working on, I'll post this:
Gov. Bev Perdue signed a bill into law Thursday that could help two large craft breweries to open operations in western North Carolina. The legislation -- House Bill 796 -- won nearly unanimous support among lawmakers.
Perdue issued this statement: "My top priority is creating jobs, and this bill will fuel the expansion of an industry that has already put down roots in North Carolina," Gov. Perdue said. "North Carolina’s top-ranked business climate helps us attract new businesses and help existing ones grow and thrive."
"The legislation will allow all breweries to offer tastings and sell their products on site, a change aimed at drawing new breweries – and new jobs – into North Carolina. In recent years, the state has seen a sharp growth in small craft breweries, and the new law will help attract new operations interested in opening breweries that also serve as tourist destinations." For more on the bill read here.
Imagine the size of that multiplier!
From the link:
The legislation now before Gov. Bev Perdue is aimed at attracting Sierra Nevada and New Belgium, two well-known midsize breweries, to western North Carolina. But brewers hope it further ferments the state's reputation as a beer capital.
Hmmm, Torpedo IPA in western NC ... imagine the size of that multiplier!
Until now, state law reserved the beer garden niche to breweries that produced less than 25,000 barrels a year, using the cap as a way to help regulate alcohol sales. All of the state's approximately 50 small craft breweries fit under the ceiling in the existing law.
State Rep. Tim Moffitt, an Asheville Republican, said the change would help attract the Colorado-based New Belgium and the California-based Sierra Nevada to open East Coast production facilities, potentially creating about 275 jobs and more than $200 million in capital investments.
New Belgium is looking to open a facility in Asheville and Sierra Nevada is eyeing property in Hendersonville, officials said.
