I just received an email from Marylanders for Better Beer & Wine Laws that I thought would be good to share.

Beer in Maryland

Beer seems to be returning to the fore as a creative medium with a number of small craft breweries opening or expanding recently in Maryland. Alas, the laws dealing with them have not kept apace. For example, craft brewers cannot lawfully sell their beer at farmers markets or self-distribute their products as wineries currently can. A number of you have been voicing concern over this situation, with one member recently writing in the Baltimore Sun: “[A]llowing micro-breweries to self-distribute … would encourage more to get into the business. Modifying Maryland’s distribution laws would ultimately benefit consumers by providing greater choice of products made in Maryland. We consumers have been deprived far too long.”

We are looking to put together a Beer Council to address some of these issues and welcome your participation. Please email me if you are passionate about beer and want to see more and better choices in the Maryland marketplace.