Are guest taps legal at Washington breweries? If you’ve been on a brewery crawl here in the evergreen state, you know the answer has to be yes. But, are there any restrictions on what a Washington brewery can pour at its taproom? Let’s dig in.
In Washington, we’re lucky to have a fairly de-regulated market. Just look at some of the Southern states, for example (where in Alabama homebrewing only became legal in 2013, sheesh). However, it’s not a free-for-all as far as guest taps are concerned.
In Washington, the on-point law can be found in RCW 66.24.244. It provides that any properly licensed microbrewery can sell beer produced by another microbrewery (those on the craft side) or domestic brewery (the big guys), but with one major caveat. The guest taps cannot exceed “twenty-five percent of the microbrewery’s on-tap offering of its own brands.” That might seem straightforward, but let’s break it down.
First, the excerpt one more time:
“Any microbrewery licensed under this section may also sell beer produced by another microbrewery or a domestic brewery for on and off-premises consumption from its premises as long as the other breweries’ brands do not exceed twenty-five percent of the microbrewery’s on-tap offering of its own brands.”
Understanding the Washington Brewery 25% Guest Tap Rule:
- Under the microbrewery license, standing alone, a brewery can only have beer guest taps. Not wine, not cider, not mead. The rule only applies to beer.
- The 25% rule is clear, but its application may not be. It’s easiest to break it down by using a number. You might read the 25% rule and think it’s simple. Say, I have 20 taps. A quick read may suggest to you that 25% of those can be guest taps. So, then, fifteen of my own beers and then five guest taps—75%/25%, right? It’s actually a little different. What the law says is that a microbrewery can’t exceed 25% of the brewery’s own brands. So, if you have 20 of your own beers on tap, then you could have an additional 25% allocated to guest taps. That’d be 25 total taps. 20 of your own beers, 5 guest taps. Important distinction. So, if you only had 10 total taps, no more than two could be guest taps.
- You probably caught it in the read through, but one last note. The law permits on-premise sales and off-premise sales, too. So, the law gives Washington breweries the green light to fill growlers from guest taps as well.
Ultimately, I love a good guest tap. And, I love that this industry is so supportive of one another that guest taps are a mainstay. The Revised Code of Washington, as applied by the Washington Liquor Control Board, ensures that Washington brewery guest taps are alive and well throughout the state. However, the 25% rule prevents a Washington brewery from, say, operating a full-fledged beer bar, while only dabbling in its own on-tap offerings. (Which, for me, is a bit of a bummer. I’d love to see a nano get rolling as a great beer destination—a fun atmosphere, an awesomely curated selection—then transition over into a bit more brewing. But, alas, that’s not the law.)
The post Washington Brewery Guest Taps – Applying the “25%” Rule appeared first on Brewery Law Blog | Insight on Beer Law from the Brewery Attorneys at Reiser Legal PLLC.
