The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee opened public testimony on House Bill 242 on the state’s brewpub license framework, a bill the sponsor described as correcting a clerical error from the prior session.

The bill matters because it would restore the intended language that allows certain brewpubs limited self-distribution while keeping the state’s three-tier regulatory structure in place.

Scott Shire of the New Hampshire Beer Distributors Association summarized the proposal as a technical correction. “So we’re here to basically adopt the right language and correct what happened at the end of last session,” Shire said, describing an agreed fix after prior hearings and a clerical mistake in the statute. Mike Summers, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association, said his group worked with Shire and supports the bill. “I think this cleans up the clerical error, but we are in support of the bill,” Summers testified.

Representatives of the New Hampshire Liquor Commission’s enforcement and licensing divisions described the bill as narrowly targeted. Lieutenant Matt Culver and Chief Mark Armaganian of Liquor Enforcement said the change applies only to the brewpub manufacturing license and its limited self-distribution to the licensee’s own on- or off-premise locations, and that the volume limits in current law remain in effect. Armaganian told the committee the brewpub license is “one of the only manufacturing licenses” that requires an on-premise restaurant and that House Bill 242 focuses on distribution language.

Committee members asked few questions during the hearing. The sponsor and testifiers said industry stakeholders and the Liquor Commission had previously negotiated the language and that the bill simply restores the version lawmakers intended last session.

Chair remarks and committee scheduling: the chair told members the Commerce Committee will send liquor bills to a liquor subcommittee for more detailed review and said the subcommittee would meet next week to consider two liquor bills, including this item.

With limited opposition or additional comment recorded during the public hearing, the committee closed public testimony on HB 242 and moved the bill into subcommittee consideration.