COLUMBIA — The “pint bill” has passed the S.C. Legislature by large margins, potentially providing South Carolina with an edge over Georgia and one small step toward North Carolina’s brewing dominance.
The proposal will allow breweries in South Carolina to serve 48 ounces of their product on site during a 24-hour period. That’s a large increase over the current law, which allows only four, 4-ounce samples to be consumed. Georgia does not allow breweries to sell pints for on-site consumption.
An earlier version of the bill, H. 3554, sought to make 64 ounces the limit, but a legislative compromise siphoned it down to 48 ounces, which is three pints. The current version of the bill also requires a brewery to purchase $1 million in liability insurance.
Employees would also have to undergo state-approved training to prevent illegal sales and underage consumption.
On Thursday, the S.C. House approved the bill 73-37, following a vote of 31-1 by the Senate on Tuesday.
South Carolina’s growing brewing industry and S.C. Brewers Association eagerly backed the proposal, which was introduced by Upstate Republican Rep. J. Derham Cole, Jr.
Locally, River Dog Brewing Co. in Jasper County opened in January in anticipation of the pint bill becoming law.
The S.C. Crime Victims’ Council had opposed the legislation, citing figures that showed drunk driving wrecks made up 38 percent of all traffic deaths in South Carolina, 7 percent higher than the national rate.
Craft beer supporters have countered that their culture isn’t about guzzling beer for the purpose of getting drunk, but instead it’s about enjoying and exploring unique types of beers.
The state is home to about a dozen breweries, while Georgia has roughly twice as many and North Carolina has more than 60.
Nationwide, the number of breweries in operation totaled 2,416 in March, according to the Boulder, Colo.-based Brewers Association.
