Brewpubs are becoming a trendy way to get a taste of handcrafted beer. Coweta County commissioners last week in addressing the growing trend amended the county’s alcohol ordinance to include brew pubs.
A brewpub is an eating establishment in which beer or malt beverages are manufactured and subject to barrel limitations, according to the ordinance. A brewpub will require a retail consumption and must have at least 55 percent of its annual gross sales in the form of prepared meals or food.
Brewpubs will be located in the C-3 (Commercial Retail) areas.
The ordinance requires that brewpubs must operate an eating establishment at which other alcoholic beverages may be sold and manufacture no more than 10,000 barrels of beer in a calendar year solely for retail sale on the premises. Other requirements state that brewpubs cannot give free samples of beer and cannot sell alcohol by the package for consumption off premises, though they can sell up to 5,000 barrels per year to a licensed wholesale distributor.
Commissioners voted 4-1 to adopt the alcohol ordinance to include brewpubs. Commissioner Al Smith cast the opposing vote.
The vote to amend the zoning and development ordinance to include brewpubs was taken earlier in the meeting. That vote was 3-2, with commissioners Tim Lassetter, Bob Blackburn and Paul Poole in favor and Smith and Commissioner Rodney Brooks opposed.
