Bellying Up to the Bar

"Bellying up to the bar" in Connecticut is now a bit more friendly in light of recent legislation and the adoption of related regulations.

Diners who would like a glass of wine, beer or cider are now able to serve themselves as "self-pour" machines were approved by the state Legislature in 2021. Self-pour technology may now be installed in restaurants, bars, breweries and other approved permit premises, enabling patrons to serve themselves up to 32 ounces of beer, 10 ounces of wine, or cider with up to 6% alcohol by volume, upon the permittee's activation of a patron's payment card. The automated system may dispense beer, cider, and wine to: (1) a permittee 's employee who is authorized to serve alcohol or (2) to a person who shows a govemment-issued identification card that matches the name on the payment card and the permittee (or, presumably, his or her employee) verifies to be age 21 or older. The permittee or employee must record the verification that the person is at least age 21. Under the act, automated systems cannot dispense a serving of more than 32 ounces of beer or cider or 10 ounces only unless the permittee or employee reactivates the payment card.

The legislation, which became effective June 16, 2021 , has not been broadly implemented in Connecticut, but the availability of self-serve technology offers convenience to patrons and will likely become more widely used over time. Currently, 40 states in the United States allow self-pour technology. For specific language, refer to Connecticut General Statutes 530-62d.

In addition, Connecticut adopted regulations that impose further requirements for management of the permit premises that offer self-pour technology, including maintenance of video surveillance while the self-pour system is in operation, cleaning the system, proper labeling of products on spigots, and system recalibration. Also, prior to its first use by the public at an establishment, permit premises owners must notify the Liquor Control Division at dcp.liquorcontrol@ct.gov. The regulation, in its entirety, can be found in section 30-6-A28 of the Regulation of Connecticut State Agencies.