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State Rep. Dan Ramos has been trying to get the Bill passed for several years. He first introduced it three years ago. Lawmakers were supposed to give it a third reading Tuesday afternoon, but that was passed. They’ll take it up at a later date.
If passed, Ohio craft beer breweries say it could mean more money and jobs.
“More jobs, more manufacturers, a bigger tax base,” said Ian Boyland who is the General manager of Barley’s Brewing Company in the Short North.
Those are just some of the reasons why Boyland thinks Breweries should be able to make beers with higher alcohol content. “A lot of our other surrounding states have it. We’ve already lost one major brewery to a state that had higher alcohol limit,” said Boyland.
Boyland has 12 beers on tap at his Brewery, soon there will be 40 taps, all craft beers. If the Bill passes, Boyland says it will attract more customers than he already has.
“It would be great to have some of these higher ABV beers that people literally will come out of there house to come and try,” said Boyland.
He says some people go out of state just to try the novelty beers. “These beers are going to be expensive they are going to be craft items,” said Boyland.
But not everyone is on board with House Bill 68.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea personally, the more the alcohol content, the faster people get drunk,” said Anna Laird.
