As the old saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. But what about a free beer?
Have you tried the latest beer? Perhaps you’d like a free sample? That’s the idea behind tastings that happen in restaurants throughout Virginia — give people a free sample and maybe they’ll develop a taste. But how much free beer? The current limit is $100, and Republican Delegate Dave Albo says that’s not enough. He’d like to see the limit changed to $250.
“Anheuser Busch wants to increase it because they’ve recently purchased a lot of new brands like Devil’s Backbone is now an Anheuser Busch product," says Albo. "And so they want to have people go out and try out Devil’s Backbone.”
But who will pay for that $100 of extra beer? Phil Boykin at Virginia Beer Wholesalers says his members fear they’ll be required to offer more tastings and then be required to pick up the tab.
“If Virginia Beer Distributors thought this would sell another drop of beer, we’d likely support it," explains Boykin. "But this is not about selling beer. It’s about shifting costs.”
Small-scale craft brewers are also concerned about the bill. They say they’re concerned that big corporations with deep pockets will be able to offer more free beer and they won’t be able to afford to keep pace.