New Richmond, Wis., is getting a new brewery and, according to the brewer, it has Minnesota’s laws to thank for it.

John Moore, owner of Barley John’s Brew Pub in New Brighton, said he’s wanted for years to get his beer into retail stores. But brewpubs in Minnesota are limited by law to on-site sales, and brewpub owners are restricted from opening up breweries that produce craft beer for store shelves.

“I think we make really, really good beer here, but few people have an opportunity to get at it because of the limitations in the state’s requirements,” Moore said.

So he’s heading across the border.

This spring, Moore plans to break ground on a 10,000-barrel brewery in New Richmond, with hopes of selling the beer starting in the fall.

While he would rather the brewery be in Minnesota, building it in Wisconsin makes sense as the next step in expanding his business, Moore said. His brewpub has been making beer for 14 years and has won awards, yet he still runs into craft beer aficionados who have never heard of Barley John’s — because it’s not on tap in bars or found in liquor and beer stores, he said.

The state’s limitations on brewpubs are part of the three-tiered system of alcohol sales in Minnesota, said Dan Schwarz, president of the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild.

That system — which separates producers, distributors and retailers — goes back to around the time of Prohibition and was meant to prevent large-scale breweries from having too much power over the retail market, he said.

“I think it’s a delicate balance to work with,” Schwarz said of the current system.

The three-tiered system in Minnesota saw some loosening in 2011, when legislation known as the “Surly Bill” was signed into law. The legislation allowed breweries to open taprooms, which serve beer on site, and helped pave the way for Surly Brewing Co.’s $20 million brewery underway in Minneapolis.

Moore, however, said the legislation was not a boost to brewpubs, which could already serve beer on site.

But brewpubs do have some advantages over taprooms.

Taprooms are limited to selling the beer made on site, whereas brewpubs can serve liquor, wine and beer made elsewhere. Brewpub owners can also open multiple locations, but breweries are limited to one taproom, said Schwarz, who is CEO and co-owner of Lift Bridge Brewing Co. in Stillwater. Lift Bridge opened a taproom following passage of the Surly Bill.

In Wisconsin, brewpub owners see some of the same restrictions as in Minnesota.

“We have the same stupid laws that drive businesses out of state instead of encouraging them to stay in,” said Jeff Hamilton, an officer with the Wisconsin Brewers Guild. “We have some brewpub companies that will probably end up expanding in Illinois.”

Hamilton added that Wisconsin brewpubs can sell their beer in stores but are limited to 1,000 barrels — about 330,000 12-ounce beers.

Hamilton, who is chair of his guild’s legislative committee, said his group is looking to change the law restricting brewpubs’ retail sales but has yet to find a sponsor in the Legislature.

Moore, who will continue to operate his New Brighton brewpub, also has plans for a taproom in the new brewery, but when it would open to visitors is unknown, he said.

“The focus of this place is a production brewery; that’s the No. 1 goal,” he said. “The taproom is icing on the cake.”

Moore said he got the idea for bringing his business to New Richmond from another producer of intoxicating beverages — fellow Minneapolis resident Paul Werni, who opened up his 45th Parallel Distillery in New Richmond in response to higher distiller fees in Minnesota.

“Paul was one of the reasons I initially went down (there),” Moore said. “I was whining about the state laws in reference to brewpubs, and he said, ‘Go down to New Richmond.’ ”

Despite his frustrations with Minnesota’s laws governing brewpubs, Moore said he’s “terribly excited” about the opportunity to open Barley John’s Brewing Co. in Wisconsin.

He said he’ll begin with brewing four beers — the Little Barley Bitter, Stockyard IPA, Wild Brunette brown ale, and Old 8 Porter — and plans to offer additional creations in the taproom.