Action in Trenton talk topic at Guild fest

Most of us would rather drink beer than talk about what the state says you can do or can't do, as far as brewing and selling it go. But proposals to make New Jersey a friendlier place for its growing, 15-year-old craft beer industry do warrant some discussion.

Continued discussion, at that.

As in getting out the message about why brewers are pinning their hopes to the legislation that would modernize rules written back in the early 1990s, when microbrewing looked more like a passing fad than a budding industry that could generate tax revenues and create jobs. That's what the interview subjects in the video discuss.

For craft beer enthusiasts, the changes would mean more choices choices in the marketplace, since brewpubs would be able to sell beer at locations other than their restaurant-breweries. For the brewers who already bottle, the changes would, among other things, let them sell more beer directly to folks who stop by for brewery tours.

Meanwhile, the legislation, introduced in May in the state Senate and Assembly, has picked up an additional sponsor: Sen. Anthony R. Bucco, a Republican from Morris County.

Keep the discussion going.