Gov. McAuliffe doubles event limit for Va. breweries, wineries

Breweries and wineries will now be approved for eight banquet licenses per year

A mural on the wall at Parkway Brewing in Salem

ROANOKE – Craft breweries and wineries in Virginia are getting a big boost thanks to a new bill signed into law by Gov. Terry McAuliffe. The law will double the number of special events that the breweries and wineries will be able to have on and off premise.

Soaring Ridge, Parkway Brewing and Chaos Mountain Brewing said the change will allow them to play a bigger role in the community. They'll be able to do more events, whether they're collaborative events they host on their own property or taking their product offsite to local charities and benefit activities.

Recommended Videos



The legislation doubles the number of banquet licenses for a brewery or winery each year. Previously, the limit was four events, forcing the breweries and wineries to pick and choose which events to take part in. Now, each brewery can apply for eight special banquet licenses a year.

Chaos Mountain Brewing said this is a big deal for them. In years past, it's been tough to choose when to use their licenses, whether they want to pick a major event, like the Harry Potter Festival in Roanoke they took part in a few weeks ago, or to help a local benefit or charity, where they know they won't be able to bring in as much business. With more banquet licenses they won't have to decide. They can do both.

Soaring Ridge in Roanoke agreed. They said being able to participate in more events will also help get their name out to people who may not see their beers on a regular basis.

"For us, it means we're getting more of our beer out there and people exposed to our product," says Claire Ainsworth, the operations and sales manager for Soaring Ridge. "You have a lot of wine drinkers that stick with wine and cider drinkers that stick with cider. Getting out there and saying, 'Try this,' and at least getting them exposed to your product definitely doesn't hurt."

For Parkway Brewing in Salem, the new law means their recent Oyster Roast can be even more successful in the future. The brewery uses one of its banquet licenses to bring other types of alcohol, like cider or wine, on property for people who aren't as interested in beer. With more licenses, the brewery can hold more collaborative events in the future.

Mike Pensinger, the general manager and brew master at Parkway Brewing, says thanks to the new laws and McAuliffe, he's seen some major changes during his time in the craft beer industry.

"The big thing is recognizing that breweries aren't hobbies. They're businesses, and business is good for Virginia," he says. "When I started brewing 15 years ago, there were 10 of us in the state. Now we have 175. The growth that we've seen because of the laws and the governor backing those changes has been fantastic for breweries in general."

The bill passed in the state with overwhelming approval back in February. The House of Delegates unanimously voted to pass the change. State Senate voted to pass 36-4. The governor said licenses will only be issued for events with the purpose of featuring and educating the public about the products.