The Kentucky Senate voted 23-13 Wednesday to send high-profile "Beer Bill" legislation to Gov. Steve Beshear's desk.
The move was immediately praised by Kentuckians for Entrepreneurs & Growth, or KY KEG, which helped to push for its passage.
House Bill 168 tightens the rules on beer distribution and essentially would force Belgium-based beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev to sell its two Kentucky distributorships.
The legislation was sponsored by House Speaker Rep. Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, and has been the focus of an intensely waged legislative and public relations battle.
The fight over beer distribution rules has pitted the interest of multinational AB InBev against the state’s burgeoning small-scale craft beer breweries, including Lexington’s Country Boy. At issue is whether AB InBev should be allowed to operate distributorships it owns in Louisville and Owensboro. State laws generally prohibit cross-ownership among the makers, distributors and retailers of alcoholic beverages.