Beer

(AP file photo)

Now that the new administration has taken office, there is likely to be a completely different national political landscape for the foreseeable future. And in Massachusetts, there might also be a vastly altered "beerscape" as well.

As reported in the Boston Globe last week, Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who also oversees the state's Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, is ready to put everything on the table concerning alcohol regulations and how to modernize them.

Among the changes considered may be how brewers are tied to their distribution deals, the limits on alcohol licenses for communities, whether tap rooms at breweries should be allowed to serve guest beers, and allowing non-brewery bars to serve beer-to-go in growlers.

I'm fairly libertarian when it comes to alcohol laws. As far as the first two issues above are concerned, I think brewers shouldn't be tied to a distributed too strictly (as they are now) and I think the current draconian limit on liquor licenses is a Puritanical vestige of the Prohibition era. To me, those are no-brainers, although I know many will disagree about that.

As far as the taprooms serving other brands and beer bars serving to-go growlers, I really don't care one way or the other on either issue -- but I do care about them as a tandem.

What I mean is that these two changes seem to go hand-in-hand with each other. Taprooms are not "bars" per se. They are limited serving areas where a brewery can showcase and/or sell their products, depending on the type of license they have. (And for those who aren't familiar with what I mean, I don't mean brewpubs such as the Northampton Brewery or the People's Pint. We are only talking about small taprooms at breweries in this case.)

But some taprooms are quite extensive, offering music performances, merchandise and other incentives to visit. There are sometimes food trucks right outside. So they virtually become de facto bars. Allowing them to serve guest beers would push them further in that direction.

Now, I don't have a problem with that, but if that measure gets approved, so should the growler one. Because if breweries can grab more of the beer market by serving other brands, beer bars should be able to sell beer to go like breweries can. It's a matter of leveling the playing field.

With these debates on tap, the coming year promises to be a wild one in the craft beer scene. Stay tuned as I will be addressing each issue as it arises.

Beer note

Speaking of taprooms, many readers probably are aware of the disputes between Ludlow's Iron Duke Brewing and its landlord, Westmass Development. Iron Duke is under threat of eviction after the brewery proposed an expansion that would add seating and food service to its taproom.

While the exact nature of the squabble isn't quite clear, it's appears Westmass, a nonprofit economic development agency, prefers that Iron Duke remain a production brewery and forgo its retail activities. It gave Iron Duke 30 days to stop running the taproom, a period that expires at the end of January.

Here's hoping the two sides can come to a mutually satisfying agreement. I'd hate to see the area lose a popular brewery.