A bill before the Alabama legislature would allow residents to have beer or wine delivered to their homes.
A new bill in the Alabama Legislature would end the state's long prohibition on beer and wine home deliveries.
Senate Bill 271, introduced by Sen. Andrew Jones, R-Centre, would allow beer and wine to be shipped directly to Alabama consumers.
Alabama is one of seven states that prohibits shipments of wine and beer directly to buyers. Currently, customers wanting to purchase from out-of-state beer or wine producers must order through the state and have the alcohol shipped to an ABC store for pickup and payment.
Jones' bill would change that process but it doesn't open the door to all shipments. Only breweries that are licensed in the state and produce less than 1,500 barrels of beer per year would be allowed to ship in Alabama. For wineries, the limit is 24,000 gallons a year.
For comparison, one Miller/Coors plant can brew up to 9 million barrels of beer a year. Top wineries produce hundreds of thousands of gallons.
The bill would limit households to 24 cases of beer per year, capping each case to 288 ounces. Wine deliveries would be limited to 24 cases per year, up to 9 liters per case. No deliveries could be made to dry counties or cities or to anyone younger than 21.
Jones' bill is currently in the Government Affairs committee.