Hot Words in Maryland Over Craft Beer’s Future
Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot took his case for fewer limits on the state’s craft brewers before a panel of lawmakers whose hearing room turned into a lion’s den Friday as delegates accused him of fomenting rancor over the issue.
Franchot had promoted the hearing on his Facebook page like a boxing match that he dubbed the “Fight for Maryland Beer” and had recently labeled lawmakers who were opposing him as idiots.
Lammakers met Franchot’s promise of a fight by making the state’s official alcohol regulator — and unofficial head cheerleader for Maryland’s craft brewing industry — wait for more than four hours Friday afternoon before inviting him to testify. At 7 p.m. 71 witnesses were still scheduled to testify.
When he finally did appear shortly after 5 p.m., Franchot came with a challenging message to sell — that the same committee last year botched a bill that led to new regulations that he said failed craft brewers and favored the larger traditional alcohol companies. He described last year’s new regulations as a disastrous result of “back room deals” that did not give small, craft brewers room to grow and had made Maryland a “national laughing stock.” Read more here, from The Baltimore Sun.