We recently reported on a change to Maryland law that woud allow breweries to self-distribute into Montgomery County. This wasn't the only legislative change in MoCo during the last legislative session, however. The passage of S.B. 310 allows for another big boon to breweries in Montgomery County: the ability to sell pints for consumption on premise and packages (e.g., six packs) to go.
Just like H.B. 140, this piece of legislation was initiated by breweries in Montgomery County. For S.B. 310, Paul Rinehart of Baying Hound Aleworks and Julie Verratti and the rest of the team from the forthcoming Denizens Brewing Company got involved and started the ball rolling on an important piece of legislation.
What specifically does S.B. 310 do? Verratti explains: "It allows a holder of a state level microbrewery class 7 licensee to also obtain a class D beer and wine license in Montgomery County. This is important because a class D beer and wine license does not require any food sales (although they are allowed) and allows for selling the products in packages to-go (6 packs etc.)." This is important, she notes, because, "prior to the law change on July 1, 2014 only class 5 breweries could pour pints without food in Montgomery County. Class 7 breweries were not able to do so."
We recently had a chance to catch up with Paul Rinehart of Baying Hound Aleworks to ask about his role in the push for this legislative change and other topics. Baying Hound celebrates its fourth birthday this Saturday, so be sure to check that out if you're in the area. Our lightly edited interview follows below.
