Food -> Eats FRI, JUL 13 10:43AM by Heather Miller
Brewhaha: A spirited new Louisiana law
A new law passed during the recent legislative session was crafted to help the Louisiana Spirits rum distillery under construction near I-10 in Lacassine, but the legislation also opens up opportunities for micro-breweries and other booze businesses statewide.
When Louisiana’s new rum distillery opens at the end of this year, tourists will be able to purchase rum directly from the producer thanks to a new law enacted this year.
State Sen. Dan Morrish, R-Jennings, sponsored the legislation on behalf of Louisiana Spirits, a rum distillery under construction near I-10 in Lacassine, but the law will also open up opportunities for other booze businesses statewide.
The Brewhaha blog is back this week as part of as part of The Independent’s commitment to support EatLafayette and encourage local flavor.
Every Friday The INDsider will post fun facts, trivia and more under its Brewhaha blog. Post your best beer responses under the Brewhaha blog on our website, and we’ll choose one commenter per week to receive a 12-pack of Bud Light Platinum courtesy of Schilling Distributing.
The first reader to correctly answer the weekly trivia questions is not an automatic winner, so keep the beer thoughts pouring from the tap and continue the conversation. Brewhaha is meant to be a dialogue — completely dedicated to all things booze.
Commenters must be registered with our website to post a response. Click here to sign up for The INDsider and a chance to win.
The Times-Picayune reports that before Morrish’s bill passed, distilleries were required to sell their products through wholesale distributors rather than allow visitors to purchase the booze directly from the distillery.
Parish Brewing of Broussard owner Andrew Godley tells The Times-Pic that breweries are still bound to the old law, but the widespread support the legislation received during session gives Godley hope for a friendlier beer future in Louisiana:
Godley thinks one of the main reasons breweries haven't pushed for the change in legislation is the lack of a large micro-brewing industry in Louisiana.
"It takes quite a bit of people to force something to move," he added. "There's no push for it. You can't have legislative change without a group of people working for change."
Trey Litel, a founder of Louisiana Spirits, used to work for Bacardi. He and his brother got the idea to open a distillery in Louisiana because the state has a history of producing large amounts of sugar cane, a main ingredient in rum. Two years ago, after visiting other distilleries and researching the business, they moved forward with their plans. Louisiana Spirits is in the process of creating its rum recipe, which will include local sugar cane and unique ingredients. The company hopes to produce dark and light rum by the end of 2012.
Litel said Senate Bill 64 will allow him to develop his distillery into a tourist destination and enable the Louisiana native to give something back.
Others expect to see the impact of the new legislation as well. Jedd Haas has plans to open a micro-distillery in New Orleans, making whiskey and absinthe. He decided to try to start a distillery after seeing several stories about similar ventures. His distillery will be under the brand Atelier Vie, which recently received its state permit.
Brewhaha Trivia: -What’s the largest brewery in the United States? Where is it located? -What’s the largest brewery in Louisiana? Where is it located and how many states are said to sell this brewery’s beer?
Brewhaha Fun Fact: -In Fairbanks, Ark., serving alcoholic beverages to moose is illegal.
We really need to amend the current laws in Louisiana regulating beer sales and the ability of breweries to move their products in a more free-market environment.
Wonder if and who the lobbying effort will be spearheaded by to prevent an elimination of the current restrictions.
You must be logged in to post a comment. Log in using your Facebook account or register if you do not have an account yet.
David Calhoun and Elizabeth “EB” Brooks are the first two employees of Lafayette Central Park Inc., the nonprofit charged with turning Lafayette Consolidated Government’s 100-acre Johnston Street Horse Farm property into a passive public park. Calhoun was named executive director, and Brooks is director of planning and design.
Is it a crime for citizens to photograph, video, or take notes of a police officer in the line of duty, or a right protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution? Locally, such activity, as witnessed recently, will at the very least result in a night spent behind bars.
At Thursday's State of the Economy luncheon, LEDA President and CEO Gregg Gothreaux said PXP has already quietly hired 180 people for its Broussard expansion.
There will soon be a whole lot of shakin’ going on at Benny’s Sportshack Supplement Depot, a new concept by Opelousas native Benny Nele. Located at 2002 Johnston St., the supplement shop, smoothie bar and café, featuring hot off the press paninis and wraps, plans to open in late May.
This year’s Cool Town issue is all about people who are not native to South Louisiana but made a conscious decision to be here, to be among us, to participate in our culture and contribute to it.
A shelved ordinance transferring $200,000 from a northside drainage project to a south Lafayette development may not break any laws, but it stinks to high heaven.
An effort to restore a shuttered dancehall and document other vacant or razed honky-tonks could serve as a model for saving an endangered species of entertainment.
Lafayette’s gene pool has been host to a long line of eccentric characters who have blurred the lines between crazy, genius, disturbed and curiously entertaining.
Subscribe to this comment's feed
http://brewerylaw.com/2012/06/correction-on-sb-64-new-law-does-not-apply-to-breweries/
We really need to amend the current laws in Louisiana regulating beer sales and the ability of breweries to move their products in a more free-market environment.
Wonder if and who the lobbying effort will be spearheaded by to prevent an elimination of the current restrictions.