Beer Growler Bill Passes Through House Subcommittee

The ban on beer growlers and beer tastings is one step closer to being abolished.

On Tuesday, theHouse Business and Professional Regulation Subcommitteeadvanced a proposal that would allow breweries and beer pubs to sell the 64-ounce and 128-ounce size beer growlers, inching one step closer to ending the ban.

Last year, the bill to legalize beer growlers died a swift death in the Florida Legislature. The same subcommittee rejected a similar proposal that would haveallowed the larger beer growlers to be legal in the Sunshine State.

According to Florida law, beer can only be sold in a container of a gallon or more, or 32 ounces or less. Craft beer breweries, which have become increasingly popular in recent years, often sell beer in half-gallon containers called "growlers."

Forty-seven states currently allow the sale of growlers.

A similar bill, SB 406, is currently advancing in the Senate. Another related Senate bill, SB 470, would allowbreweries as well as stores like Publix and Costco to offer free beer tastings.