Lucy Berry of al.com recently looked into the decision of Cigar City Brewing Co of Tampa to pass on Alabama and Georgia while searching for a location for their upcoming expansion. According to Cigar City founder Joey Redner, Alabama’s unfavorable legal environment toward breweries is the reason the state was never seriously considered.
It was widely reported earlier this year that Stone Brewing Co of San Diego was searching for an east coast location. Although there was a last-minute push to make Alabama law more receptive to the craft brewing giant, the company ultimately decided to build their $74 million facility in Richmond, Virginia.
Alabama and Georgia are the only two states with an absolute prohibition on brewery direct sales for off-premise consumption. As quoted in the article, Dan Roberts explained, “We are the exception in that we are the only two states that are holding back the growth of a viable manufacturing industry.”
