Ed Murray

By Chris Franklin | For NJ.com

New regulations announced this week for New Jersey's 88 craft breweries have created a groundswell of frustrated beer advocates who say the rules go too far and will damage a growing business.

The outpouring of support for brewery owners — most of which has come from a petition and calls to legislators — seems to be getting some traction. Legislators, as well as the governor, have said the regulations may need to be revisited.

The state's Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), which falls under the supervision of the Attorney General's office, announced new regulations Monday including the following:

Breweries can now only hold 25 "special events," such as paint and sip nights, trivia nights, live televised sporting events and live music nights.

Breweries are limited to 12 special permits a year to sell products off the brewery premises such as festivals, athletic events, and other civic events.

Breweries are limited to 52 private parties (birthdays, weddings, anniversaries) a year.

They must electronically notify the ABC 10 days prior to holding the event

The Office of the Attorney General spokeswoman Sharon Lauchaire said the special ruling was created with significant input from the New Jersey Brewers Association and the Brewers Guild of New Jersey and is the product of collaboration and compromise among stakeholders in the craft brewery industry.



"The Division is implementing the Special Ruling on a temporary pilot basis and will monitor the activities being conducted on and off licensed premises of Limited Breweries," Lauchaire said. "The information and data collected by the Division through its implementation of this Special Ruling will eventually form the basis for the development of regulations governing the burgeoning craft brewery industry."

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Petition now has more than 24,000 signatures

The reaction to the special ruling angered brewery owners and craft beer enthusiasts, sparking a number of calls to legislators across the state. The decision also led to the Independent Brewers of New Jersey to create a petition, asking for state leaders to reassess the ruling made by the ABC.

As of 3:30 p.m. Friday, the petition has garnered 24,000 signatures since it was posted online.

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Andrew Maclean | NJ Advance Medi

Office of the Governor

Gov. Phil Murphy's spokesman Dan Bryan said Murphy is looking at different possibilities in wake of the special ruling.

“The craft beer industry is a growing and vibrant sector of the New Jersey economy, supporting good-paying jobs and spurring business investment across our state," Bryan said to NJ Advance Media. "Governor Murphy is concerned about unintended consequences as a result of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s special ruling, and has directed his team to review all options to alleviate unnecessary burdens on our state’s craft breweries.”

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Aristide Economopoulos

Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin

The Democratic speaker of the Assembly said he has instructed his office to review the special ruling.

“I’ve instructed my staff to thoroughly and carefully review the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control’s recent special ruling regarding the activities of microbreweries in New Jersey,” the Assembly speaker said in a statement to NJ Advance Media. “I agree that the 2012 amendment needs clarity, but we must also strike a balance that is fair to small business owners and all other interested parties. I will gather all of the necessary facts, ask my caucus to weigh in and then determine how to best address this issue.”

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Aristide Economopoulos

Senate Republican Leader Thomas Kean Jr.

“I think they went too far,” Senate Republican Leader Thomas Kean Jr. said in a phone interview with NJ Advance Media. “I think it sends a chilling effect to a burgeoning industry and I hope that they would rethink their decision.”

Kean Jr. says he and some of his colleagues “disagrees fundamentally” with key provisions of the ruling and hopes the ruling is reconsidered “in-house” by the ABC and the administration because it is only a special ruling and it is easier to change course.

“The first step is to always try to course correct internally and then the next step, if that doesn’t happen, is to talk about a legislative solution that helps grow an industry rather than snuff one out,” Kean Jr. said.

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Al Amrhein

Gloucester County Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger

The debate over the special ruling has also trickled down to the county level. Gloucester County Freeholder Director Robert M. Damminger said the county supports the independent craft brewers.

"Gloucester County is home to eight craft breweries and we support them in their investment in our county, as employers and as our neighbors," Damminger said in a statement.

Damminger also said the breweries, acting as small businesses, are vital to the county's economy.

“We will continue to support all of our small businesses and encourage our residents to think of them first when spending their hard-earned dollars,” the Gloucester Country Freeholder Director added. “We are grateful that there are entrepreneurs who are dedicated to their craft, like small breweries, that bring so much to the atmosphere of our downtowns and communities.”

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Joe Warner

Camden County Freeholder Jonathan Young

Camden County Freeholder Jonathan Young thinks small businesses like craft brewers should not be driven away, but rather be encouraged.

“We as a state have to realize that small business is the driving economic force in any community,” Young said. “It starts from there and works its way up.”

Young also believes that it is a generational issue, with millennials becoming a larger population group.

“We are getting into a situation where some are not understanding the generational change,” Young stated. “If you look at most breweries and what’s happening, it’s a millennial change. It’s their thing, and that’s what they want to do. We need to start to embrace it, and we need to stop separating ourselves generational-wise and start to adapt and figure out what do we want and what does the next generation want and how do they want to live.”

Senate President Steve Sweeney declined to comment about this issue.

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Strict rules for N.J. breweries are a buzz kill for business | Editorial