SENATE LAW AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE, No. 72

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JUNE 21, 2021

      The Senate Law and Public Safety Committee reports favorably a Senate Committee Substitute for Senate Bill No. 72.

      This Senate Committee Substitute establishes a winery-brewery sublicense that would permit wineries to produce malt alcoholic beverages for retail sale to consumers for consumption off the licensed premises and establishes a farm brewery license that would permit the licensee to produce malt alcoholic beverages for retail sale to consumers for consumption off the licensed premised.

     A farm brewery would operate in much the same manner as a farm winery, using locally grown farm products in brewing malt beverages which would be sold at the farm.  A licensee would be required to be actively engaged in farming on or adjacent to the brewery site and to be actively cultivating hops or other products used in the production of the malt alcoholic beverages.

     A farm brewery licensee would be permitted to brew up to 2,000 barrels of malt alcoholic beverages per year for retail sale for consumption off the premises and to offer samples.  A graduated license based on volume would range in cost from $100 to $300 a year.  A single individual or entity would be permitted to hold only one farm brewery license.

     The winery-brewery sublicense established by the committee substitute would be available to plenary and farm winery licensees, provided they are actively engaged in farming on or adjacent to the winery premises and are growing and cultivating hops or another product used in the production of the malt alcoholic beverages.

     Under the provisions of the committee substitute, the holder of a winery-brewery sublicense would be permitted to brew up to 3,000 barrels of malt beverages per year and to sell this product at retail for off premises consumption and to offer samples.  The committee substitute does not authorize a licensee to sell any malt alcoholic beverages to wholesalers and retailers.  The annual fee for this sublicense would be $750.

     A winery-brewery licensee would be permitted to hold only one sublicense under the committee substitute.