A provision was approved by a legislature committee on Thursday but still awaits a final decision from the House and Senate.

Growler caps may be no more for larger Minnesota breweries.

A bipartisan legislative agreement announced Thursday would reconcile the differences between liquor bills in the Minnesota House and Senate.

This would raise the cap on the state's six largest breweries — Lift Bridge, Schell's, Castle Danger, Surly, Summit and Fulton — that has kept them from selling growlers and other containers directly to the consumers to take home.

The new rule would extend to breweries that produce 150,000 barrels of beer per year, up from the existing 20,000-barrel limit.

Out of over 8,000 breweries in the United States, the six aforementioned breweries are the only ones in the country that can't sell beer to-go directly to the consumer. This is according to the Alliance of Minnesota Craft Breweries, a group that has pushed for change in the industry.

The agreement would also allow smaller breweries to sell up to 128 ounces of beer per customer each day, and allow distilleries to sell cocktails directly to consumers and operate a cocktail room. 

The bill is sponsored by House Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) and Sen. Gary Dahms (R-Redwood Falls). It was approved with a 10-0 vote by joint House Senate conference committee members Thursday, though still has to pass the full legislature before the current session adjourns on Monday. 

According to the bill, it also addresses a previous issue with the Coleman Act that "prohibits exclusive contracts in the sale of hard spirits by treating in-state and out-of-state manufacturers similarly." The provision is included in both the House and Senate versions.

The Senate's version is a bit more limited in comparison to the House's proposals, which include:

One item left out of the proposals is the establishment of a liquor regulation advisory council. The goal was to have a body made up of equal members of wholesalers, retailers and producers to advise the Legislature on changes to liquor laws.

Another provision discarded would have allowed residents to have looser restrictions on the amount of wine that can be shipped; the wine would have also been taxed in relation to wine purchased in the state. Another provision that would allow 17 year olds to serve liquor was also denied, according to the Senate.

Other provisions that were included in the final version would allow the following:

Sufeng Zheng, 46, and Ting Gui Zheng, 51, face 26 felony-level tax fraud charges.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota announced the settlement Wednesday.

Authorities are reminding park-goers to be aware of their surroundings.

Close to Lake Harriet, Bde Maka Ska and all of the unique restaurants and shops next to it

A vote of 8-5 will keep Heather Johnston in line to serve as the city coordinator for four years.

A man and woman were found dead Wednesday afternoon.

With dwindling supplies, prices for fossil fuel-based energy have nowhere to go but up. Lock in predictable energy costs at home and on the road with solar power and an electric vehicle.

Raddatz says her friends in the media will still hear from her.

The driver also had a revoked license.

The dominant strains of omicron moving through Minnesota are BA.2.12.1, BA.4 and BA.5.

The rescue effort took over four hours.

Flynn's partnership with TruStone Financial comes after a new policy allows high school athletes to be compensated for their name, image and likeness.

The pushback includes loosening restrictions on growler sales for bigger craft breweries and a more direct line of spirit sales to customers.

One of the proposals would allow beer and wine to be sold at grocery stores and gas stations.

The framework deal includes spending on education, health care, human services and public safety, as well as tax cuts.

Only five breweries in Minnesota are prohibited from selling growlers and beer to go because they're "too big."

The bill didn't receive the required votes for further consideration on Wednesday.

The distillery says the move will allow it to grow production while maintaining its Minneapolis operations.

In the span of a few weeks, two Minnesota craft beverage producers have announced expansion plans in Wisconsin, blaming Minnesota's liquor laws.

This has to be the most adorable moment ever from a Commerce Finance and Policy Committee hearing, right?

You Can Get BMTN Special Offers!