Omnivore - The Porter donating 10 percent of Monday sales to beer bill fight

• Joeff Davis/CL File
• The Porter Beer Bar

Update: The Porter raised $4206.25.

A few more details of the forthcoming Beer Jobs Bill were released Monday courtesy of national beer news outlet Brewbound.com. According to the story, “the bill seeks to legalize sales of 12-packs for off-premise consumption and sales of up to six pints for on-premise quaffing.” Georgia Craft Brewers Guild board members Nancy Palmer and Carly Wiggins are quoted, as well as Mo Thrash of Thrash-Haliburton, the government affairs firm the GCBG has hired to lobby on behalf of Georgia brewers this legislative session.

On Jan. 2, the GCBG’s Indiegogo fundraising campaign ended with $12,101 contributed, almost half of its $30,000 goal. While the GCBG has participated in a number of festivals over the past year that have contributed to its cause, it seems some Atlanta retailers are stepping up to help fill the gap and show both their moral and monetary support.

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First up is The Porter Beer Bar. On Monday, Jan. 12, they’re having an impromptu event to support modernizing Georgia’s beer laws. Porter co-owner Molly Gunn says her Little Five Points watering hole will have a keg of Creature Comforts Brewing Co.’s much-hyped collaboration with Dunedin, Fla.’s 7venth Sun, Southerly Love, as well unnamed special kegs from JailHouse Brewing Company and Orpheus Brewing.

In a tweet on Tuesday, The Porter urged followers to join the 11,612 people who have signed the GCBG’s petition for better Georgia beer laws on GABeerJobs.com.

Gunn says The Porter will donate 10% of sales from the day as well as 100% of sales from certain kegs. She thinks it’s time the legislative tables turn in Georgia. That, despite what distributor representatives say, retailers are in favor of letting breweries sell direct.

“The Georgia Beer Wholesalers Association represents the distributors,” she told Creative Loafing. “I understand why any change in laws is feared by the distributors, as right now they have not just the upper hand, but the complete deck. I feel that breweries selling their own beer will improve the craft beer culture in Georgia. In basic economic terms, improved craft beer culture results in more people at The Porter wanting to try new craft beers.”

Gunn was also quick to clarify that her bar is in a partnership with the wholesalers, and that perhaps they’re misguided in their attempts to squash beer law progress in Georgia.

“I am in no way against distributors nor do I think this bill will negatively affect them,” she said. “I think improved craft beer culture in Georgia is good for them as well, because when I sell more beer, so do they. I will not be driving to SweetWater or Orpheus or Three Taverns to pick up beer. I will still be buying through a distributor along with the thousands of other beers I buy from Colorado, California, Belgium, and Japan.”

Of course, she has her own legislative motive as well.

“Have you seen how many bad BeerAdvocate reviews The Porter has because I can’t sell beer before 12:30 on Sunday?” Gunn said. “People from outside Georgia are outraged when they find out they have to drink coffee for the first hour and half of my brunch service because our bible belt state thinks they should be in church! I hope that this is a great first step to bringing Georgia beer laws into the 21st century and making Georgia a world class beer state.”