Potential Changes to Beer Sales in Montgomery County

For years Montgomery County, Maryland, has had a bad reputation regarding the sale of alcohol, but that’s starting to change and recent developments should improve the beer scene. 

Recall that last year the county allowed breweries to self-distribute, which Denizens, The Brewer’s Art, and others have taken advantage of. In fact, Republic in Takoma has a tap list comprised soley of self-distributed breweries. Yet aside from a few breweries that chose to go this route, everyone else must deal with the county’s Department of Liquor Control (DLC). Here’s how that currently works:

Bars, restaurants, and stores that sell beer order it from the DLC, which acts as a “fourth tier” in the system that in other jurisdictions has breweries, wholesalers (distributors), and retailers. When retailers want a product, they purchase it from the DLC, who in turn gets it from distributors. Still with me? Good. 

The DLC has two categories of products with regards to beer: stock and special order. The macros