Athens – A Georgia Senate bill is now in a committee this week after a push from local beer makers to allow them to sell beer straight to their customers. Right now breweries in Georgia are unable to sell beer to people to drink off the premises. John Cochran is the president at Terrapin Brewery, and is one of the people who is pushing for Georgia to join the other states that allow these kinds of sales.

“It’s a very simple bill. It is something that 45 states allow right now. Georgia is one of only five states that do not allow breweries to sell their own beer, and it has been proven in other states that it is a win-win for everybody. The retailers end up selling more beer because of it, and the distributors end up selling more beer because of it,” Cochran says.

The bill is written by Republican Senator Hunter Hill and is supported by 5 other Republican senators. Right now, it is in the Regulated Industries and Utilities committee. If the bill clears the committee, it would still have to go before the Senate floor. So, it still has a long way to go.

Tune in for the full story on Grady Newsource tonight at 5.