Straight to Ale's plans for the Stone Middle School project may come to a screeching halt if lawmakers do not pass legislation this session for off-premise brewery sales in Alabama.

Dan Perry, co-founder of Straight to Ale. (Eric Schultz | eschultz@al.com)

Straight to Ale co-founder Dan Perry said his Huntsville business is poised to quadruple in size, triple its craft brewing capacity and more than double its workforce with the addition of a 40,000-square-foot brewery, taproom and mixed-use event space at the vacant Stone Middle property off Governors Drive.

If House Bill 96/Senate Bill 214 do not pass, Perry said the brewery may be unable to proceed with the much-publicized expansion.

"In order for us to make this huge investment, we obviously need to have revenue streams in place once we open to pay the bills," he said. "Off-premise sales from the brewery and the ability to serve into the entertainment district are two important things that we need to make everything work."

The legislation would create a special craft brewers license for businesses that produce and package no more than 2 million barrels of beer annually. It would also allow breweries or brewpubs to sell products for on- and off-premise consumption and participate in open-container entertainment districts.

Dan Roberts, executive director of the Alabama Brewers Guild, said passing HB96/SB214 will "bring Alabama's brewery regulations in line with national standards."

"The amount of investment opportunity that has already been lost due to over regulation can be measured in the 10 of millions of dollars or more," he said.

[Related: Alabama craft brewery expansions depend on 'take home' sales bill: guest opinion]

The unnamed Stone Middle project, first announced in August 2014, also includes an 8,000-square-foot brewery, bier garten and tasting room for Yellowhammer in Huntsville. Earth and Stone Wood Fired Pizza, an Albertville-based food truck, plans to operate a restaurant inside the facility.

Yellowhammer, which is investing $2 million in its expansion, broke ground at the development in early March. General Manager Ethan Couch said the passage of HB96/SB214 would have a positive impact on Yellowhammer's future branding and revenue.

Yellowhammer Brewing and Earth and Stone Wood Fired Pizza broke ground Friday, March 6, 2015, on an expansion project at the old Stone Middle School. (Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com)

"But, this bill is more about convenience to the customer who loves to come by the brewery, or an out of town guest who may not have time to search for some of our beers in the market," he said. "The brewing industry is growing significantly in Alabama, and each brewery is becoming a destination for both locals and tourists alike."

Perry said Straight to Ale has worked with the city of Huntsville and other state representatives and asked for their support in getting the legislation passed this session.

He said the legislation "doesn't ask for anything that is not currently available in almost every other state in the U.S."

"The additional income that will be generated from this bill is very big for all of the small breweries here in Alabama, but very small in the overall picture," he said. "... All that we are asking for with this bill is the ability to sell a small amount of beer 'to-go' to consumers from the facility where it was made."

Donna Alexander, executive director of the Alabama Wholesale Beer Association, submitted an AL.com guest opinion about the legislation, saying it would "provide one group of businesses an unfair market advantage over other equally sized competitors by creating a special loophole in the law."

Wish You Were Beer, north Alabama's first craft-only beer store on U.S. 72, plans to open a full-service, 800-square-foot home brew supply shop called Sweet Liberty in the Straight to Ale expansion area. Perry said Sweet Liberty is one of several small businesses the brewery is working with for the Stone Middle expansion.

"If Straight To Ale does not open at the new location, all of those businesses will have to look for alternatives plans, as well," he said. "Let's hope that isn't necessary."

Straight to Ale, which served its first beer in 2010, currently operates on 3200 Leeman Ferry Road S.W. in Huntsville.