Giant Jones brewery cleared to serve at Fete de Marquette with conditions limiting sales and marking boundaries

The Alcohol License Review Committee approved Giant Jones Brewing’s application to sell alcohol from its State Street tasting room as part of the Fete de Marquette festival, but imposed three conditions designed to prevent overlap with other festival vendors and to limit higher-proof sales.

Giant Jones asked to include its tasting-room premise as part of this year’s festival footprint on the 200 block of South Brearley Street so patrons could purchase its beer and wine and move between the tasting room and festival activities. City staff and the Madison Police Department recommended limiting the scope of what the brewery could sell in the festival footprint.

Committee members adopted conditions tailored to those concerns: the brewery must properly mark the boundaries of its premises on the 200 block of South Brearley Street and post signage instructing patrons not to carry beverages beyond those boundaries; sales may include beer and wine only (no intoxicating liquor/hard spirits) during the festival dates; and sales are limited to the dates/times listed in the application (July 11, 4 p.m.–10 p.m.; July 12, noon–10 p.m.; July 13, noon–8 p.m.). The applicant confirmed acceptance of the conditions and offered to use barricades and signage to delineate the licensed area.

Assistant City Attorney McReynolds advised the committee that it is good practice to list specific dates and hours directly on the municipal recommendation to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue; the committee read the conditions into the record and approved the application. The committee also noted the municipal approval will be forwarded to common council and then to the state if the council concurs; final state action remains separate.