Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot is siding with brewers in Maryland who are opposing a bill that would limit the operating hours and other offerings of some breweries in the state.
Franchot, who is expected to testify against the bill when it appears before a Maryland Senate committee Wednesday afternoon, called the bill “inexplicable.” “These breweries are creating jobs, creating wages and creating tax revenue,” he said.
House Bill 1283, which was passed by the House of Delegates earlier this month, is a mixed bag. On one hand, it raises the amount of beer certain breweries can brew annually. On the other, it cuts back their operating hours and ability to serve beer made off-site.
But, it cuts back hours from midnight and 2 a.m. at some breweries to 9 p.m. during the week and 10 p.m. on the weekends. It would also limit the amount of beer made off-site, including at contract or partner breweries, that can be sold on-site at a brewery.
The bill won’t likely affect the breweries in…
