Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jeff HouckAugust 28, 2015

In the beer world, a growler is a vessel used for transporting freshly brewed beer. The legend goes that the name came from the sound of carbon dioxide escaping from beneath the lid of the metal pails used in the 1930s to transport beer. These days, growlers have evolved into glass jugs. The escaping gas? […]

Mitch PerryJune 29, 2015

Beginning on Wednesday, craft beer enthusiasts will finally be able to purchase 64-ounce growlers at the establishment of their choice in Florida. It’s a big moment for the burgeoning craft beer industry in Florida and its allies in Tallahassee, who had seen their efforts to repeal the unique ban in recent years thwarted by the “Big […]

Mitch PerryMay 16, 2015

Although craft beer enthusiasts are happy to be able to finally live in a state that can now offer them 64-ounce growlers, the legislation was always about more than the selling of a half-gallon sized jug. One could say the half-gallon growler had become the political pawn in what had led to a fierce battle […]

Associated PressApril 24, 2015

Florida’s “growler war” over craft beer may be ending under legislation passed by the state House Friday and ready to go to Gov. Rick Scott. Senate Bill 186, already passed in the Senate, lifts the problematic requirement that craft breweries operate as tourist attractions, a holdover from the days when the law was intended to […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 9, 2015

When it comes to the United States’s role in the world, Barack Obama can do no right in the eyes of his Republican critics on Capitol Hill (Come to think of it, they’re not in too enamored with his domestic policies, either). For months there have been hawks in Congress such as John McCain who […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 9, 2015

When it comes to the United States’s role in the world, Barack Obama can do no right in the eyes of his Republican critics on Capitol Hill (Come to think of it, they’re not in too enamored with his domestic policies, either). For months there have been hawks in Congress such as John McCain who […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 8, 2015

Since its inception in 2009, Joey Redner’s Cigar City Brewing has enjoyed tremendous growth and critical acclaim, winning international awards for its high quality craft beers. Among those admiring from afar apparently is the apotheosis of “Big Beer,” Anheuser Busch InBev, the world’s largest beer company in the world. According to a story in Sunday’s […]

Mitch PerryFebruary 8, 2015

Since its inception in 2009, Joey Redner’s Cigar City Brewing has enjoyed tremendous growth and critical acclaim, winning international awards for its high quality craft beers. Among those admiring from afar apparently is the apotheosis of “Big Beer,” Anheuser Busch InBev, the world’s largest beer company in the world. According to a story in Sunday’s […]

Mitch PerryDecember 12, 2014

Earlier this week Mitch Rubin, the executive director of the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association (FBWA), announced that while “for several years,” his organization has supported lifting the restriction on 64-ounce growlers, the FBWA’s support in next year’s legislative session won’t be tied into his greater concerns of direct brewer to consumer sales. Tampa House Republican […]

Tag: Cigar City Brewing
Crowds gather to see Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (Gabrielle Russon)

Jeff Houck: Growler ban was full of gas

Dana Young and Chris Sprowls to go on “Growler Freedom Tour” on Wednesday

Compromises led to passage this year of growler bill

Lawmakers pass bill to aid craft brewers, end growler war

Mitch Perry Report for 2.9.15 – Will Bill Nelson’s stance on arming Kiev prevail?

Mitch Perry Report for 2.9.15 – Will Bill Nelson's stance on arming Kiev prevail?

Joey Redner says he's not in discussions with Anheuser Busch InBev

Joey Redner says he’s not in discussions with Anheuser Busch InBev

Dana Young takes Mitch Rubin at his word on 64-ounce growlers