Watch This: FSU Student's Film Shows Craziness of Craft Beer Laws in 'A Story So True, It's Stupid'

Kuba Bozanowski / Wikimedia Commons

In Florida, beer jug sizes are strictly and nonsensically regulated. You can carry beer in a 32 oz. jug, or a 128 oz. jug—but nothing in between. The 64 oz. growler—an ideal container to bring to a brewery, fill up, and take home—is illegal in just Florida, Mississippi, and Utah.

Florida's law, which was put in place by a vindictive legislature more than half a century ago and maintained by monopolistic beer distributors, is the subject of short documentary film by Florida State University student Hunter J. Truman. Truman told the Herald-Tribune that he set out to make a more objective film, but it was just impossible:

He said started the project after wondering why 40-ounce beer bottles weren't available in Florida. He said he "went down the rabbit hole of insane factors" about Florida beer regulations.

The craft beer industry "just seems it has everything right going for it," Truman said. He was surprised to find that the brewers are being opposed politically, especially from conservatives who say they support small businesses, he said.

Truman must not have heard of bootleggers and Baptists.

Watch Truman's film here.

Comments

[Sevo]

Vid no open on my ‘puter.

[Robert]

Content was not that much. Early 1960s, Miller considered an install’n in Fla. but decided on Ga. instead. Fla. legislature took revenge by outlawing beer & ale (but not liquor or wine) sizes between quart & gal. because Bud (made in-state) didn’t have them but Miller did. Half-gal. is preferred size for growlers, but Fla., Utah, Miss. outlaw that. When reformers try to get legislation to remove that restriction in Fla., lobbyists respond saying it would be unfair (or some other excuse) to change that provision without also amending a bunch of others, so it never gets addressed. Ostensible grounds for maintaining status quo keep changing, but benefit big distributors (chiefly tied in to Bud) who have very profitable sinecure as result. Oh, and you can legally have assault rifles, flame throwers, and cheetahs in Fla. And craft beer biz said to be velly, velly good thing. Original music, mostly plucked strings; closing credits in fingerpaint.

[Brett L]

benefit big distributors (chiefly tied in to Bud)

Only because the Miller-Coors distributors abandoned it after the publicity turned decidedly negative.

[MegaloMonocle]

TEAM BE RULED, bitchez!

[BakedPenguin]

Living in FL, I remember wondering about the lack of 40’s. Then I became a libertarian.

[robc]

Its a perfect example of the law of unintended consequences. A law to stop foties ends up preventing growlers.

[Robert]

Living in FL, I remember wondering about the lack of 40’s. Then I became a libertarian

& started drinking only the hard stuff?

[BakedPenguin]

That, and started smoking weed. Since, you know, we’re required to by the charter.

[Dances-with-Trolls]

Highlighting the absolute (evil) genius of progressivism. By the time people are done fighting through the thousands of petty tyrannies there’s no energy left to combat the major tyrannies.

[AlmightyJB]

Thank God they’re not in charge of our health care.

[BakedPenguin]

Wayne Densch Inc. is a huge Bud distributor in central Florida. I actually knew Densch’s stepson in the 1980’s.

Ironically, he was a pot dealer at the time.

[MJGreen]

Mmm. Jugs.

[Lord Humungus]

related: Meet the Beer Bottle Dictator

Any brewery that wants to market its wares in this country needs to get it through Kent “Battle” Martin, giving the federal official extraordinary power. With only vague regulations outlining what is and isn’t permissible, he approves beer bottles and labels for the Tax and Trade Bureau, or TTB, a section of the Treasury Department.

Those who have interacted with him describe him as brusque, eccentric, clenched. He is tensely and formally dressed on all occasions, with an encyclopedic memory of beer labels. He is bespectacled and somewhat awkward.

This year, Battle has singlehandedly approved over 29,500 beer labels, the only fact his press handler would provide. The TTB would not even provide basic biographical details about the famed regulator, much less make him available for an interview.

[Lord Humungus]

nevermind – see it was covered in another H&R post. Derp on me.

[robc]

The TTB, partly to take work off of him, and partly to avoid losing a lawsuit, no longer requires approval of labels for intrastate sales. The labels are still required to meet all the requirements, however.

Ive heard of a brewery who kept getting label rejected. They changed resolution it was saved in and it passed. He apparently was measuring on his screen to see if lettering met proper size requirements and etc.

[Loki]

But this is unpossible. I have it good authority from every prog-tard I know that the only thing that regulations negatively effect is abortion clinics. How can this be?! /sarc

[robc]

KY allows breweries to sell on site. But you cant sell anyone over 288 ozs per day.

So, if they want a buy a case that is okay.

As long as they dont first have one beer by the drink. Or want a growler filled too. Or, if you dont package in 16 oz cans.

Because Frankfort forbid someone have a few drinks and then buy a case to take home too.

But, of course, at a liquor store you can load as many cases as you want into your cart.

[Sudden]

Better to just drink a case’s worth at the brewery and drive home!

[Bobarian]

Drink a case’s worth at the brewery and let the wife buy a case.

Still drive home, because wimmenz shouldn’t drive.

[BakedPenguin]

Garrett Peck went over how the 3-tier distribution system developed after prohibition in “How Not to Legalize a Drug.”

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