Craft brewers, distributors at odds over proposed contract rules

Lawmakers on Beacon Hill weighed a bill Tuesday that supporters say would level the playing field for small beer brewers, while opponents say it would irreparably damage the craft-brewing industry that supports it. An overflow crowd gathered for the hearing, spilling into a State House hallway. The legislation would rewrite the law on beer distribution to let some brewers end relationships with distributors. Under the current law, a beer supplier can only terminate its contract with a distribut

Lawmakers on Beacon Hill weighed a bill Tuesday that supporters say would level the playing field for small beer brewers, while opponents say it would irreparably damage the craft-brewing industry that supports it. An overflow crowd gathered for the hearing, spilling into a State House hallway. The legislation would rewrite the law on beer distribution to let some brewers end relationships with distributors. Under the current law, a beer supplier can only terminate its contract with a distribut…