Dayton signs Surly beer measure

Posted at 4:50 PM on May 24, 2011 by Mike Mulcahy (4 Comments)
Filed under: MN Legislature, Mark Dayton

If you're lamenting the lack of a state budget agreement, take heart. You'll soon be able to drown your sorrows at the Surly Brewing Company.

On the same day he vetoed most of the GOP-backed budget bills, Gov. Mark Dayton signed a bill allowing beer sales at a proposed new brewery and restaurant.

Here's the release from the governor's office:

Today, Governor Mark Dayton signed the omnibus liquor bill, Chapter 55, HF 1326/SF 918, making several changes to current law.

Senator Chris Gerlach (R--SD 37) and Representative Joe Atkins (DFL--HD 39B) were the chief authors of this bill. It has become known as the "Surly bill" because it creates a new class of license, a brewer taproom license, which will allow Minnesota breweries, including Surly Brewing Company, to sell pints of their beer on-site.

The new law will also allow bed and breakfast establishments to serve Minnesota produced beer. It will allow the issuance of on-sale licenses at racing tracks, and will allow an annual wine festival to serve customers. Additionally, it will allow for temporary licenses to farm wineries for on-sale at a county fair and will allow private nonprofit colleges to have liquor licenses.

The bill also makes other changes relevant to specific municipalities. This bill passed the Senate with unanimous support and the House with broad, bipartisan support.

Comments (4)

I am only slightly confused. Were private nonprofit colleges not allowed to have liquor licenses before? My university had an on-campus bar and served alcohol at a variety of events.

Posted by Matthew | May 24, 2011 8:27 PM

Events is the keyword. There are a variety of licenses. Catering companies for example can secure event licenses for liquor...

Posted by josh | May 25, 2011 6:38 AM

Glad this was passed, but it is really unfortunate they couldn't get around to including the Sunday sales and Four Firkins bills too. Guess we'll have to make another push next time around.

Posted by Emily | May 25, 2011 4:46 PM

The colleges, as I understand it, could serve (the pub at SJU for example) but they could not brew their own beer and sell it on sight. Now perhaps their will be a NEW johnnie ale served up in collegeville.

Posted by Jake | May 25, 2011 8:48 PM

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