Beer 30 Friday: Florida Legislature finally approves 64-ounce growlers

The biggest beer news in the state this week was the unanimous passage of a growler bill in both the State house and Senate. The bill, SB 186, only has to be signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott, who we’re hoping takes the aisle-bridging bipartisan support for this bill as a sign that he should sign it. Once that happens, 64-ounce growlers will be legal to fill at brewery taprooms across the state starting July 1. 

This version of the growler bill dropped all of the macrobrewery and distributing company-sponsored quotas that were appended to it last year, though a provision that bars people from using EBT cards to purchase beer – which is completely redundant since you already can’t use an EBT card to purchase beer – was thrown in for shits and giggles.

So, barring some boneheaded moralizing from Gov. Scott – keep your fingers crossed, it could still happen – we should all be able to keep cold half-gallon containers of Florida-made brew in our fridges to get us through the summer. That’s something we can raise a glass to.

This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2015.