Creature Comforts Brewing Company will not face an administrative hearing in connection with an Athens-Clarke County police report filed with his office, Athens-Clarke County Attorney Bill Berryman announced late Wednesday in a statement issued through the county's public information office.

The officer filed the report after acting on a tip that Creature Comforts, on West Hancock Avenue in downtown Athens, might have run afoul of state law by not hosting tours of its facility in connection with providing patrons with free beer.

"The Attorney's Office conducted a thorough and independent review of the incident and applicable law and determined that, due to the current state of the law and regulation, the probability of successfully establishing a violation of Athens-County ordinances was low," the county's statement read, in part.

The officer visited the brewery on Feb. 1 in connection with an advertised hospitality industry night, an event which promotional flier indicated would include "free glasses and beer for all industry workers."

The police report, filed with the attorney's office on only an informational basis, indicated that the officer was given a glass and a bracelet with six pull-off tabs at Creature Comforts, but was not given "any instruction on a tour or when a tour would begin." The officer went on to report that she saw no evidence of any tours being given during her time at Creature Comforts.

Under a state law that went into effect July 1, breweries are allowed to sell guided tours of their manufacturing area, with patrons receiving free tastings of up to 36 ounces of alcohol for consumption on the premises and the ability to leave with a free, sealed souvenir comprising no more than 72 ounces of malt beverages. The law allows promotional and educational tours to be held free of charge, which can include free tastings before, during and after the event.

Berryman's investigation of the report included meetings with a number of local officials, including members of the Athens delegation to the Georgia General Assembly. State Sen. Frank Ginn, R-Danielsville, whose district includes part of Athens-Clarke County, told the Athens Banner-Herald/OnlineAthens.com for an earlier story on the Creature Comforts situation that the state Department of Revenue remains in the process of writing rules in connection with the relatively new state law, and those rules do not yet address the tour issue.

"There's nothing in the regulations that say what a tour is," Ginn said. "There's a lot of questions out there."

Berryman was pursuing a review of the police report under the terms of a local ordinance that allows the county government to hold hearings on alleged violations of state and federal alcohol laws. Sanctions against the brewery could have included revocation of its alcohol license, although such revocations are rare within Athens-Clarke County.

No one from Creature Comforts was immediately available Wednesday evening for comment on the county's announcement that the issue had been dropped.