BrewDog Starts to Offer Paid Puppy Parental Leave

Parental rights were a hot topic this election season, but one thing our candidates forgot to discuss was pet parental rights. To quote Angela from The Office, “Yeah. I mean, I usually try to take leave when I get a new cat, but I’m out of vacation days. And this company still doesn’t recognize cat maternity. I mean, when somebody has a kid, oh sure, take off a year.” Well Angela, BrewDog is (somewhat) on your side. Although they aren’t necessarily cat-people, the company is now offering Puppy Parental Leave to its employees that adopt a new furry friend. The dog-friendly workplace will allow one week of paid leave to any new pet-parents. Co-founder James Watt believes dogs are part of a good work/life balance, “We always want to raise the bar when it comes to offering our staff the best possible benefits. At BrewDog, we care about two things above all else: People and beer. We also just really, really like dogs.” [Read full article]

Bill Introduced to Effectively Expand Growler Sales to All Minnesota Breweries

In Minnesota, a brewery can only sell beer in growlers if it produces less than 20,000 barrels of beer per year. That means citizens in the state are missing out on growler fills from breweries such as Surly, Summit Brewing Co., and more. Now, that’s just wrong. However, a bill has been introduced that may help modernize this antiquated law. Last week, Rep. Drew Christensen introduced bill HF 1078 that would increase the annual production limit for breweries with growler sales to 250,000 barrels per year. “Rather than penalizing successful small businesses like Fulton Brewing, we should be encouraging their success and welcoming more of it,” said Rep. Christensen. The bill is awaiting hearing in the Commerce and Regulatory Reform Committee within the State House of Representatives. [Read full article]

Kansas Grocery Stores Lobby for Right to Sell Full-Strength Wine and Beer

Kansas grocery stores are currently limited to selling 3.2% beer, but House Bill 2282 may bring that to an end. Grocery stores and a group called Uncork Kansas lobbied the House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee last Tuesday for the bill that would allow sales of full-strength beer and wine within their stores. Hard alcohol would still be limited to liquor stores. Large chains such as Whole Foods claim that the restrictions have prevented their further expansion into the state. Opposition of the legislation is concerned about how this may affect small businesses. The committee has not yet taken action on the bill.  [Read full article]