Of the proliferation of Feast and a micro-distilling famine.

There wasn't much left of my meal Saturday at Feast.

Efforts to wade through "business news" typically compel a crazed search for knitting needles to plunge into my eyes. Having said that, I often skim the Monday business briefing at Insider Louisville, which this morning disgorged two chunks of local interest.

The Confidentials dined at Feast BBQ (with a liquid prelude at Habana Blues) on Saturday evening in the company of visiting Mainers we were showing around town (sorry, but I kept forgetting to fulfill my civic obligation to give credit to Develop New Albany for the revitalization), and as such, this IL item stands out:

During the NuLu Business Association meeting last week, insiders told us there are big plans at the Hunt Property. But no one would give us the details, saying the deal’s not done. But those sources assured us the news would be much better received than the Family Dollar store.

What we do know is, there was an “official” announcement that Feast BBQ, the New Albany barbecue restaurant and saloon, would be moving into the former Cake Flour space at 909 E. Market St. after Cake Flour bolted to the Brownsboro Road area. Oddly, Feast owner Ryan Rogers was at the meeting. And was surprised his “move” was announced when it wasn’t true. Ryan told IL while he likes the property, he hasn’t even seen a lease. That, and the Cake Flour space would take significant updating to be a real restaurant.

A second location for Feast strikes me as reasonable, and the thought of New Albany invading NuLu has a pleasing resonance. Scrumptious smoked meat, an array of bourbons ... and an official NABC taproom? Maybe Ryan's people can talk to our people. The sky's the limit.

Then, the following passage serves as a jump ball of sorts.

Peerless Distillery just west on Main at 10th Street also appears to be happening. The operations manager told our insider he’d just received the permit to build last Monday, with plans to be distilling by the end of the year.

Apparently the city of New Albany has been encouraging the establishment of a distillery downtown by chatting with potential investors.

Apparently the city doesn't entirely grasp the simplest way for a Hoosier distillery to come into existence, i.e., through the Artisan Distilling law approved last year, which allows existing breweries and wineries to initiate distilling through a permit process far less burdensome than the norm.

So: Talk to the money, then connect the money to the easiest existing paths. It's more efficient that way. Talking to the money alone, without identifying the most expeditious route for investment being identified and realized, constitutes only part of the deal.

I should've been a business writer or an economic development director. Maybe in the next life, if I ever make a few bucks during this one.

Meanwhile: Where do I sign to give DNA credit for the insights recorded here?

My column at LouisvilleBeer.com is about Indiana craft brewing.

A quick note: Those tracking progress of this year's "artisan distilling" legislation in Indiana will be pleased to know that it passed and has been signed by the governor. I'm told there are a few stray wording clean-ups to occur in 2014, but the main hurdle has been cleared. Rep. Ed Clere was the prime mover of this legislation, and deserves credit accordingly.

Tomorrow I'll be attending a meeting in West Lafayette aimed at coordinating the Brewers of Indiana Guild, Purdue University and state government toward the aim of establishing agricultural research in areas pertaining to beer and brewing (it's been done for a long time with grapes and winemaking).

Maybe some hops and barley growing, and a micro-malting business in Indiana? It might happen if we can manage row in the same direction.

Indiana Statecraft (Part One)

What was that?

How many breweries are located in the state of Indiana?

Only your friendly statewide trade organization knows for sure, although with the situation changing so quickly from week to week, the Brewers of Indiana Guild (BIG) probably isn’t capable of a completely accurate count, either.

The best guesstimate bandied about during BIG’s annual meeting in April was about 63 operating breweries, with as many as a dozen more in the planning stages.

More on artisan distilling legislation in Indiana.

Hoosier artisan distilling legislation was featured on Sunday morning at "Inside Indiana Business" (WTTS 13, Indianapolis).

Omar and Clay Robinson of Sun King Brewing Company were interviewed, and the segment can be viewed here. There's also a poll at the Inside Indiana Business website, asking yes or no to artisan distilling in Indiana. Scroll down to the middle of the page and look for a blue bar that says VIEWPOINT.

I voted yes.

Obviously, the Brewers of Indiana Guild -- of which I'm a board member -- supports this legislation. Rep. Ed Clere has shepherded it through the House, and Sen. Ron Grooms is in favor, too. The guild's executive director provides the following bullet list to member breweries; while reading it, note that mashing grains and fermenting it is a fundamental step both for beer making and distillation (sans hops). Distillation serves to concentrate the alcohol. Whiskies, and most vodkas and gins, are grain-based. Conversely, brandies derive from grapes or fruit, and our friends at Huber already distill from this portal.

• Brewers may not currently hold a distiller's permit under Indiana law.
• Many of your colleagues (and not just the larger breweries) seek the option of distilling to keep them competitive and profitable.
• You may not want to distill right now, but the new law will give your brewery the option to distill in the future.
• This bill would allow brewers to not only produce spirits, but sell them directly to the public onsite (up to 10,000 gallons a year).
• Indiana lags way behind other states in this regard. Your YES vote will help modernize Indiana's bizarre and sometimes archaic alcoholic beverage laws.

The legislation expands economic development opportunities in a fashion consistent with historical precedent, while not making distillation available to any stray carpetbagger with a wad of cash. Participating breweries would have to show a track record before distillation is approved. NABC has no plans to distill any time soon, although the production of beer schnapps might occur some day. This is a good law, and deserves your support.

Artisan distilling: Legislative loosening and other flanking maneuvers.

Even a cynic like me must doff his chapeau in recognition of the political artistry involved in moving the "artisan distillery" bill past Bill Davis, who is as ardent and unapologetic a prohibitionist as Carrie Nation ever dreamed of being.

State may loosen rules for micro-distilleries: Bill could help small entrepreneurs capitalize on growing demand for ‘locally grown’ drink, by Maureen Hayden (CNHI Statehouse Bureau via Pharos-Tribune)

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana General Assembly isn’t ready to let Hoosiers buy booze at a grocery store on Sundays, but lawmakers may be willing to loosen up the state’s tight alcohol laws for artisans who craft beer, wine and spirits.

Legislation to allow Sunday sales of carryout alcohol from retail stores died in the House last week. But several other alcohol-related bills are making their way through the legislature, all aimed at helping small entrepreneurs capitalize on the growing demand for “locally grown” drink.

They include a bill that would allow farm wineries to sell their products directly to retailers and a bill that would let the makers of craft beers sell their products at farmer’s markets and trade shows.

There’s also legislation aimed at relaxing Indiana liquor laws to allow the creation of micro-distilleries that would specialize in producing small batches of bourbons, whiskey, vodkas and gins.