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<br />Dayton signs law allowing beer sales at breweries <br />Blog Post by: Eric Roper May 24, 2011 - 6:31 PM <br />It's a happy day for hoppy beer fans in Minnesota. <br />Hours after the Legislature adjourned without a budget agreement, Gov. Mark Dayton <br />signed into law what has been dubbed the "Surly bill" around Capitol hallways. The <br />legislation allows the Brooklyn Center-based Surly Brewing Co. to serve pints of their <br />beer at a proposed $20 million "destination brewery." <br />Minnesota breweries were not allowed to serve pints of their beer on site because of a <br />"three-tier" system that strictly separated the roles of alcohol manufacturers, distributors <br />and retailers. Soon brewers can apply for a license to do just that, as long as their <br />municipality decides to offer it. <br />The Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association, the state's most powerful liquor lobby, <br />initially fought the proposal to protect that three-tier system. Surly hired its own lobbyists <br />to advocate on their behalf and mobilized a grassroots network of supporters known as <br />"Surly nation." <br />"That's really what made the difference I think, is that people contacted their legislators <br />and they listened," said Omar Ansari, owner of Surly Brewing Co. <br />The MLBA eventually softened their stance after lawmakers agreed to limit the law only <br />to brewers producing less than 250,000 barrels a year, essentially excluding major <br />national brands. <br />The proposed brewery will include a restaurant, beer garden, bar, events center and <br />rooftop terrace. The company has not decided where it will be located, though it will <br />likely be in the metro area. <br />Ansari said he was holding off on most of the planning until the law passed. He met with <br />an architect for the first time on Monday. <br />For Ansari, what began as a straightforward proposal morphed into the three-month <br />effort that opened his eyes to the inner workings of politics. <br />"What I've really learned is I really don't want to go back up there and ask for anything <br />else anytime soon," Ansari said with a laugh. <br /> <br />© 2015 Star Tribune <br />