March 30th, 2017 by WCBC Radio

Maryland's brewers — and representatives for international liquor giant Diageo — pleaded with state senators Wednesday not to pass a bill that they say purports to help the beer industry but actually harms it.

Lawmakers in the General Assembly have been weighing whether to allow breweries to serve more beer to customers in their on-site taprooms, a change that Diageo calls vital to its plans to open a Guinness brewery and tourist destination in Baltimore County.

The state's brewers have sounded alarms since the House of Delegates passed a bill about two weeks ago that would allow breweries to sell more beer on site, but restrict operating hours for taprooms and prohibit breweries from selling beer not brewed entirely on the premises.