Illinois Beer Bill Heads To Governor’s Desk

It's not all doom and gloom in Springfield these days. There actually are a few things getting done.

And if we're to believe some of the quotes from this Tribune story, the Illinois Beer Bill is one of the good things taking place. The House approved the measure Tuesday on 87-20 after the Senate passed it late last month. It soon will head to the Governor's desk.

According to the Tribune, the legislation allows breweries to make up to 120,000 barrels of beer per year while operating as many as three retail facilities:

"We're excited," said John Barley, co-founder of Solemn Oath Brewery and the president of the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild, which negotiated the bill with the Associated Beer Distributors of Illinois. "We've had no indication from the governor's office that this won't be signed. It's good for beer in Illinois, good for brewers, consumers and the distributorships."

You can find a whole lot more on the background of the bill here. This follows the approval of a bill to reinstate "Happy Hours" around the state. So even if we have no budget we'll all be able to enjoy a cold beer at a nice price.