Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Commerce & Gaming Committee

SSB 5280

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Background:

The Liquor Control Board (LCB) issues various types of licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages at retail, including those for beer and/or wine specialty shops, wineries, microbreweries, domestic breweries, restaurants, grocery stores, and nightclubs. Under certain circumstances, the LCB may impose conditions or restrictions on a license, or include special endorsements authorizing the sale of certain types of alcoholic beverages subject to specified conditions.

Certain categories of retail licensees are permitted to sell beer in a "growler," which is a sanitary container brought to the premises by the purchaser, or furnished by the licensee, and filled at the tap at the time of sale. Licensees authorized to sell growlers of beer include: (a) domestic breweries and microbreweries holding a spirits, beer, and wine restaurant license (may only sell beer of their own production); (b) a beer and wine specialty shop licensee with an endorsement to sell growlers; and (c) a spirits, beer, and wine restaurant licensee authorized to sell for off-premises consumption.

Only certain domestic wineries may sell wines of their own production in kegs or growlers. The sale of such kegs or growlers must be for off-premises consumption. The growlers may be brought to the premises by the customer or supplied by the licensee and filled at the tap at the time of sale.

Grocery store licensees are not authorized to sell beer, wine, or cider in containers brought to the store by a customer and filled at the store by the licensee.

Cider is defined as "table wine that contains not less than 0.5 percent of alcohol by volume and not more than 7 percent of alcohol by volume and is made from the normal alcoholic fermentation of the juice of sound, ripe apples or pears."

Summary of Bill:

The LCB is authorized to issue an endorsement to a grocery store licensee allowing the sale of beer and cider in a sanitary container brought to the premises by the purchaser, or provided by the licensee or manufacturer, and filled at the tap by the licensee at the time of sale. The endorsement is limited to only those grocery store licensees with revenues derived from beer and wine sales exceeding 50 percent of total revenues or that maintain a liquor inventory worth not less than $15,000. Grocery store employees who participate in filling the containers must have an alcohol server permit.