A controversial Tennessee bill to ban the sale of cold beer has been withdrawn.
Rep. Ron Gant introduced House Bill 2845 on January 31. In its original form, it proposed banning the sale of refrigerated beer at licensed retailers in the state in an attempt to curtail impaired driving.
After backlash from grocery and convenience stores, Gant withdrew the bill and has promised to rework its language, according to WSMV-4.
“While the final version of the bill is still being drafted, it will not include any language that prevents the sale of cold beer in Tennessee,” Gant said in a statement. “This was one of several ideas being discussed by stakeholders across our state, however, I do not want to infringe on law-abiding citizens or be unfair to businesses.”
Beer shipments in Tennessee were roughly flat in 2023, increasing +0.2% year-over-year (YoY), to 340,000 barrels, according to the Beer Institute (BI).
The state ranks 35th in craft breweries per capita, with 2.9 per 100,000 legal-drinking-age adults, according to the Brewers Association (BA). Tennessee’s 154 breweries, which produced 218,061 barrels, generated $1.251 billion in economic impact in 2022, according to the BA.
The only other state to prohibit sales of cold beer from off-premise retailers is Indiana, according to a press release from the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), citing information from the Tennessee Fuel and Convenience Store Association.
Indiana Furthers Happy Hour Bill
A bill to permit time-bound price discounts on alcohol beverages at on-premise retailers – effectively legalizing happy hour – has passed both houses of the Indiana Legislature.
House Bill 1086 will head to the desk of Gov. Eric Holcomb after passing the state Senate Tuesday with a vote of 38-10. The state House of Representatives approved the bill with a vote of 75-21 on January 29.
The bill allows retailers and craft bev-alc manufacturers to “reduce or increase the price of alcoholic beverages during a part of the day.”
Promotional prices may be offered for a maximum of four hours each day and 15 hours each week, but not between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m., according to the bill.
Discounted prices “may be during consecutive or nonconsecutive hours that are divided by the craft manufacturer or holder of the retail permit in any manner.”