Sec. 537.

(1) The following classes of vendors may sell alcoholic liquor at retail as provided in this section:

(a) Taverns, where beer and wine may be sold for consumption on the premises only.

(b) Class C licensee, where beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the premises.

(c) Clubs, where beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the premises only to bona fide members if consumption is limited to these members and their bona fide guests, who are 21 years of age or older.

(d) Direct shippers, where wine may be sold and shipped directly to the consumer.

(e) Hotels of class A, where beer and wine may be sold for consumption on the premises and in the rooms of bona fide registered guests. Hotels of class B where beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the premises and in the rooms of bona fide registered guests.

(f) Specially designated merchants, where beer and wine may be sold for consumption off the premises only.

(g) Specially designated distributors, where spirits and mixed spirit drink may be sold for consumption off the premises only.

(h) Special licensee, where beer and wine or beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the premises only.

(i) Dining cars or other railroad or Pullman cars, watercraft, or aircraft, where alcoholic liquor may be sold for consumption on the premises only, subject to rules promulgated by the commission.

(j) Brewpubs, where beer manufactured on the premises by the licensee may be sold for consumption on or off the premises by any of the following licensees:

(i) Class C.

(ii) Tavern.

(iii) Class A hotel.

(iv) Class B hotel.

(k) Micro brewers and brewers, where beer manufactured by the micro brewer or brewer may be sold in an approved tasting room under section 536 to a consumer for consumption on or off the manufacturing premises.

(l) Class G-1 licensee, where beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, and spirits may be sold for consumption on the premises only to members required to pay an annual membership fee and consumption is limited to these members and their bona fide guests.

(m) Class G-2 licensee, where beer and wine may be sold for consumption on the premises only to members required to pay an annual membership fee and consumption is limited to these members and their bona fide guests.

(n) Motorsports event licensee, where beer and wine may be sold for consumption on the premises during sanctioned motorsports events only.

(o) Wine maker or small wine maker, where wine manufactured by the wine maker or small wine maker may be sold by direct shipment as provided in section 203, at retail for consumption on or off the premises in an approved tasting room under section 536, or as otherwise provided for in this act.

(p) Small wine maker, where wine bottled by the small wine maker may be sold by direct shipment as provided in section 203, at retail for consumption on or off the premises in an approved tasting room under section 536, or as otherwise provided for in this act.

(q) Wine maker or small wine maker, where shiners as that term is defined in section 111 may be sold by direct shipment as provided in section 203, at retail for consumption on or off the premises in an approved tasting room under section 536, or as otherwise provided for in this act.

(r) Distiller or small distiller, where spirits manufactured by the distiller or small distiller may be sold to the consumer at retail for consumption on or off the premises in an approved tasting room under section 536.

(s) Nonpublic continuing care retirement center license, where beer, wine, mixed spirit drink, mixed wine drink, and spirits may be sold at retail and served on the licensed premises to residents and bona fide guests accompanying the resident for consumption only on the licensed premises.

(t) A small wine maker or an out-of-state entity that is the substantial equivalent of a small wine maker, that holds a farmer's market permit, where wine manufactured or bottled by the small wine maker and shiners as that term is defined in section 111 may be sampled and sold at a farmers' market for consumption off the licensed premises.

(u) A brandy manufacturer where brandy manufactured by the brandy manufacturer may be sold at retail for consumption on or off the premises in an approved tasting room under section 536 located on the manufacturing premises of the brandy manufacturer.

(v) A mixed spirit drink manufacturer where mixed spirit drink manufactured by the mixed spirit drink manufacturer may be sold at retail for consumption on or off the premises in an approved tasting room under section 536.

(2) Notwithstanding section 1025(1), an outstate seller of beer, an outstate seller of wine, a wine maker, a brewer, a micro brewer, or a specially designated merchant, or an agent of any of those persons, that does not hold a license allowing the consumption of alcoholic liquor on the premises at the same licensed address, may conduct beer and wine tastings on the licensed premises of a specially designated merchant under the following conditions:

(a) A customer is not charged for the tasting of beer or wine.

(b) The tasting samples provided to a customer do not exceed 3 servings at up to 3 ounces per serving of beer or 3 servings at up to 2 ounces of wine. A customer shall not be provided more than a total of 3 samples of beer or wine within a 24-hour period per licensed premises.

(c) The specially designated merchant, outstate seller of beer, outstate seller of wine, wine maker, micro brewer, or brewer has first obtained an annual beer and wine tasting permit approved by the commission.

(d) The commission is notified, in writing, a minimum of 10 working days before the event, regarding the date, time, and location of the event.

(3) While a beer or wine tasting is conducted under subsection (2), a specially designated merchant, outstate seller of beer, outstate seller of wine, wine maker, micro brewer, or brewer, or its agent or employee who has successfully completed a server training program as provided for in section 906, shall devote full time to the beer and wine tasting activity and shall not perform other duties, including the sale of alcoholic liquor for consumption off the licensed premises. Beer and wine used for the tasting must come from the specially designated merchant's inventory, and all open bottles must be removed from the premises on the same business day or resealed and stored in a locked, separate storage compartment on the licensed premises when not being used for the activities allowed by the permit.

(4) A wholesaler shall not conduct or participate in beer and wine tastings allowed under a permit issued under subsection (2).

(5) A beer and wine tasting under subsection (2) may only be conducted during the legal hours for the sale of alcoholic liquor by the licensee.

(6) An eligible merchant may fill and sell growlers with beer for consumption off the premises under the following conditions:

(a) The premises where the filling of growlers takes place comply with the requirements for food service establishments under the food law, 2000 PA 92, MCL 289.1101 to 289.8111.

(b) The growler is sealed and has a label affixed to it that includes at least the brand name of the beer, the class of the beer, the net contents of the container, and the name of the retailer filling the growler. The label conditions described in this subdivision do not apply to either of the following:

(i) A brewpub described in subsection (1)(j), but only as to beer that the brewpub produces.

(ii) A micro brewer or brewer described in subsection (1)(k).

(c) The eligible merchant or his or her agent or employee shall not fill a growler in advance of the sale.

(d) The eligible merchant or his or her agent or employee shall only use containers that have a capacity of 5 gallons or more to fill a growler.

(e) The beer to be dispensed has received a registration number from the commission and has been approved for sale by the commission.

(f) The eligible merchant complies with all applicable rules promulgated by the commission.

(7) A wine maker, brandy manufacturer, small distiller, micro brewer, brewer, or brewpub shall provide water, and may, in the sole discretion of the wine maker, brandy manufacturer, small distiller, micro brewer, brewer, or brewpub, sell or provide other nonalcoholic beverages, for consumption on or off the premises where the wine maker, brandy manufacturer, small distiller, micro brewer, brewer, or brewpub is licensed.

(8) As used in this section:

(a) "Eligible merchant" means a person that holds a specially designated merchant license.

(b) "Growler" means any clean, refillable, resealable container that is exclusively intended, and used only, for the sale of beer for consumption off the premises and that has a liquid capacity that does not exceed 1 gallon.

History: 1998, Act 58, Imd. Eff. Apr. 14, 1998 ;-- Am. 2001, Act 223, Eff. Mar. 22, 2002 ;-- Am. 2005, Act 166, Imd. Eff. Oct. 6, 2005 ;-- Am. 2005, Act 269, Imd. Eff. Dec. 16, 2005 ;-- Am. 2008, Act 218, Imd. Eff. July 16, 2008 ;-- Am. 2010, Act 213, Imd. Eff. Nov. 17, 2010 ;-- Am. 2011, Act 298, Imd. Eff. Dec. 22, 2011 ;-- Am. 2013, Act 101, Imd. Eff. July 2, 2013 ;-- Am. 2016, Act 514, Eff. Apr. 9, 2017 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 40, Eff. May 29, 2018 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 413, Imd. Eff. Dec. 19, 2018 ;-- Am. 2018, Act 560, Imd. Eff. Dec. 28, 2018