Franchise Exemptions on the Table for Michigan Microbrewers

Dear Client: The Michigan Office of Regulatory Reinvention released a report Friday with 72 recommendations to update the state's liquor control system. The resulting 116 page document consists of the 21-member Liquor Control Advisory Rules Committee's final recommendations. Among them are changes that would allow microbrewers (defined as less than 30,000 barrels/year [though the report sometimes refers to "not more than"]) to direct ship to consumers, and exempt these small brewers from franchise laws under certain circumstances. Brewery owners would