Maine’s restrictive beer fest laws caused problems for The Festival
The hitch caused The Festival [disclosure: BP sponsor] organizer Dan Shelton to criticize the state law restricting brewers from pouring their own samples during festivals, a regulation he blamed for unnecessarily driving up his need for volunteer pourers. […] He also bristled about the fact that state regulators insisted that his festival censor beer labels from a Danish brewer that included an expletive. Shelton also argued against a Maine law capping the amount of beer festival-goers can consume over a four-hour stretch at 48 ounces.
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Having volunteers pour beer is fine when they’re needed – but pretty stupid if you want to educate the consumer about your brand and styles – which is what a beer festival is all about. The dialogue occurs when the sample is being poured. To have to stand next to a volunteer and try to engage a consumer is difficult when their attention is on the sample being poured for them. I’ve participated in beer festivals where it was NOT against the law – and the festival itself decided that was the method to be used…very counter-intuitive.