AND TALKING WITH ONE ANOTHER IS
NOT UNUSUAL.
>> ALSO AT THE CAPITOL THIS
WEEK, A REPUBLICAN BILL IS
MOVING FORWARD THAT WOULD MAKE
NUMEROUS CHANGES TO HOW
WISCONSIN REGULATES THE SALE AND
DISTRIBUTION OF ALCOHOL.
THE CURRENT LAW WAS DESIGNED IN
AN AGE WHERE GIANT BREWERS
DOMINATED THE INDUSTRY, WELL
BEFORE THE BOOM IN MICRO
BREWERIES AND WINERIES ACROSS
THE STATE.
MARISA WOJCIK SPOKE WITH A CRAFT
BREWERY OWNER AND PRESIDENT OF
THE WISCONSIN BREWER'S GILD,
WILL GLASS, WHOSE LIFE WAS
UNENDED BY THE STATE'S
CONVOLUTED LAWS.
>> WE STARTED THE BREWING
PROJEKT BECAUSE THERE WAS A VOID
IN THE MARKET.
THOUGHT, HEY IF IT'S NOT THERE,
MAYBE WE SHOULD START MAKING IT.
>> WHILE WORKING THROUGH THE
COMPLICATED PERMITTING PROCESS
TO START HIS BREWERY, WILL GLASS
FACED A SIGNIFICANT BARRIER.
>> BECAUSE MY WIFE'S BUSINESS
HAD A MUNICIPAL LIQUOR LICENSE,
I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE A
BREWERY.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY
ACTUALLY TOLD US WAS THAT IF WE
GOT DIVORCED, WE COULD THEN HAVE
THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE SOLVED.
WHEN IT CAME TO BE A REAL
CONVERSATION, BECAUSE AT THAT
POINT WE WERE OVER A HALF
MILLION DOLLARS IN INVESTMENT
INTO THIS BUSINESS, WE ALSO THEN
FOUND OUT THAT BECAUSE WE HAD
CHILDREN IN COMMON AND THERE
WOULD BE A FIDUCIARY
RESPONSIBILITY BETWEEN SPOUSES,
THAT MONEY WOULD HAVE TO GO
BETWEEN US, THAT THAT WOULD ALSO
CONSTITUTE A BRIDGING OF THE
TIERS AND MADE US INELIGIBLE TO
GET A BREWER'S PERMIT.
>> THE TIERS HE'S REFERRING TO
ARE THE THREE THAT LARGELY
REGULATE WISCONSIN'S ALCOHOL
INDUSTRY.
>> DEPENDING ON IF YOU WANT TO
BE A PRODUCER, A WHOLESALER OR A
RETAILER, YOU KIND OF HAVE TO
ACT AS ONE AND NOT THE OTHER.
THERE ARE A LOT OF EXCEPTIONS TO
THAT.
I STARTED LOOKING AT THE
STATUTES A LITTLE CLOSER AND I
WAS HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH
MY FATHER.
I WAS DRIVING TO THE GROCERY
STORE, GETTING SOME MILK, I WAS
TALKING TO HIM ON THE PHONE, AND
HE SAID, WELL, WHAT IF I OWNED
THE BREWERY, AND I SAID, WELL,
THAT COULD WORK.
SO WE BASICALLY MADE A DEAL
WHERE I TRANSFERRED ALL OF MY
ASSETS INTO HIS NAME, SO ALL OF
THE DEBT THAT I HAD TAKEN ON,
ALL OF THE MONEY THAT I HAD
SAVED FOR YEARS.
>> WHEN HE THOUGHT THEY HAD
DOTTED ALL THE "Is" AND
CROSSED ALL THE "Ts", ANOTHER
COMPLICATION SUDDENLY AROSE.
>> THEY TOLD US "NO" AGAIN
BECAUSE ONE OF THE MANAGEMENT
EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAD, HIS WIFE
WAS A BARTENDER AT A BAR IN
TOWN.
IT'S ALL THIS CRAZY STUFF, AND
IT REALLY IS THE UNINTENDED
CONSEQUENCE OF PEOPLE NOT PAYING
ATTENTION TO THE CHANGES THAT
HAPPENED IN 2011 TO OUR
INDUSTRY.
WE LOST THE ABILITY TO HOLD
MULTIPLE PERMITS AT THE SAME
TIME.
IT JUST TURNED INTO THIS KIND OF
RAT'S NEST OF COMPLICATIONS AND
EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE AND
EXCEPTIONS TO THAT RULE.
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO KNOW
WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T DO.
WE HOST WEDDINGS UP HERE.
IT HELPS US TO BECOME MORE
COMPETITIVE.
>> GLASS HAS SPENT YEARS PORING
OUT OF THE STATUTES OUT OF
NECESSITY.
HE COULDN'T AFFORD A LAWYER TO
INTERPRET THEM, AND EVEN THEN,
HE DOESN'T THINK THAT WOULD HAVE
MATTERED.
>> WITHOUT A DOWN THE, THE
STATUTES HAVE NOT KEPT UP WITH
THE MARKET.
RIGHT NOW, HARD SELTZERS IN THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN ARE
CONSIDERED WINE.
THAT'S AS OF ABOUT TWO MONTHS
AGO WHEN THE DEPARTMENT OF
REVENUE DECIDED TO REINTERPRET
WHAT A HARD SELTZER WOULD BE AS
OPPOSED TO THE FERMENTED
BEVERAGE, NOW THEY CONSIDER IT A
WINE SO IF YOU'RE MAKING HARD
SELTZER IF YOU DON'T HAVE A WINE
PERMIT, NOW YOU'RE ILLEGAL.
THE PROBLEM WITH THE 3-TIER
SYSTEM IS THAT IT TAKES AWAY A
LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FROM
ENTREPRENEURS.
IT HOLDS UP THE ABILITY FOR THE
MARKET TO CHANGE AND FOR US TO
BE ABLE TO RESPOND TO THAT.
>> THE CURRENT BILL SPEEDING
THROUGH THE LEGISLATURE IS THE
CULMINATION OF YEARS OF ADVOCACY
FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE
INDUSTRY.
>> THIS PROPOSAL THAT'S BEING
FLOATED RIGHT NOW WE'RE MAJOR
PROPONENTS OF, IT WOULD CLEAN UP
THE VAST MAJORITY OF ISSUES THAT
I HAVE RUN INTO IN THE PAST, THE
MAJORITY OF ISSUES THAT OUR
MEMBERS RUN INTO.
IT'S LONG OVERDUE BECAUSE THE
OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR INDUSTRY
HAVE SPENT SO MUCH TIME IN IT,
CHANGE IS DIFFICULT.
CHANGE IS HARD.
THE FUTURE SYSTEM ISN'T GOING
AWAY, BUT WHAT THIS BILL DOES IS
IT CREATES ALLOWANCES WITHIN.
IT GIVES SMBT ABILITY TO OPEN A
BREWERY WHEN THEIR WIFE OWNS A
BAR.
IT GIVES SOMEBODY THE ABILITY TO
HAVE SMALL LEVELS OF INVESTMENT
IN OTHER PARTS OF THE INDUSTRY,
IN OTHER TIERS THAT'S BEEN
FORBIDDEN FOR A VERY LONG TIME.
IT JUST KIND OF OPENS THE MARKET
UP IN A WAY THAT MAKES SENSE
TODAY.
>> REPORTING FROM EAU CLAIRE,