23-04-2025
'Pour Decisions Made Here' - Bill allowing patrons to pour own alcohol gaining support in NH
The sign just inside the door of Vine 32 Wine and Graze Bar in Bedford says, 'Pour Decisions Made Here.'
Self-pour technology may soon become more prevalent in bars, restaurants and craft breweries across New Hampshire if a bill making its way through the state Legislature becomes law.
Senate Bill 79 would codify language governing self-serve tap technology where patrons can pour their own alcoholic drinks.
Self-pour beer and wine systems are legal and available in 46 U.S. states, including New Hampshire. Connecticut recently became the 46th state to pass a self-pour alcohol bill. In New England, Vermont is the only state yet to put one on the books.
While self-pour tech isn't illegal here, as far as anyone knows Vine 32 is the only establishment in the Granite State currently offering such a system — with 32 wines on tap — to the delight of their many customers.
'People really love it,' said Leah Bellemore, who owns and operates Vine 32 with her husband Tom. 'I think, at first, there's still an education component, but as soon as you get in and you understand how the machines work, everyone's like, 'Oh my god, this is brilliant. Where have you been? You need to open one of these everywhere.'
'The ability to have someone be able to go through different pour sizes and really find and figure out what they're into has been really beneficial for a lot of people.'
Self-pour automated systems are already allowed in New Hampshire under industry rules, but SB79 would codify the rules into law.
House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Affairs Chairman John Hunt, R- Rindge, said he was there when Vine 32 first opened.
'The question came up whether it was legal, because in terms of the servicing,' Hunt said. 'So at the time, we made an agreement that there would be an employee" who watched the pourers, "so that if somebody stumbles, or somebody looks intoxicated, they can cut the person off. So that was the rule.
'So in terms of putting it in the statute, it's fine, but like I said, I was very happy that I was able to solve the problem for this establishment without legislation.'
The bill's prime sponsor, Republican state Sen. Tim Lang of Sanbornton said the appeal of such technology became apparent while 'waiting on my chicken fingers to show up' during a trip to Wisconsin.
'It's not often I can I go to another state and am like, 'Oh, I like what they're doing — I'm gonna bring that to New Hampshire,'' Lang said during a public hearing on the bill before the House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Affairs. 'But that's the case with this bill. It made it easier that I could just get up and get myself another beer without waiting for the waitress to come over and ask if the table wanted anything.'
Lang said he was attending a conference in Wisconsin when he visited a bar. A waitress there checked his ID, swiped his credit card and gave him an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) wristband, which uses radio waves to automatically identify people and things through a chip embedded within it.
'Then they allow you to self-pour your own drinks,' Lang said. 'So you have a wall of taps, and you go up, and you just tap your wristband to it. You pull it and pour — you only get charged for the amount you take. So if I decide I want to try the stout instead of the IPA I usually get, I can take a one ounce pour, and decide if I like it or not. If I don't like it, I can go pour something else.
'It allows consumers to self-serve and only get charged for the amount of beer or drinks that they consume.'
The RFID-enabled wristbands used to activate the system also tracks the ounces an individual purchases.
'The issue always comes up is, how do you deal with intoxication?' Lang said. 'I will tell you, I got my wristband shut off while I was at the venue, but it wasn't because I was drinking too much. It was because I was buying too much, because I was buying for the table.'
Lang said he went to purchase more drinks, and the system wouldn't let him pour. He went to see a bartender, thinking his wristband might be broken.
'They were like, no, you drank too much,' Lang said. 'And I'm like, No, not true. I've just been buying for the table. So they sent a server over to my table to make sure nobody else was intoxicated before they turned my wristband back on, and once they confirmed there wasn't an over-serving that occurred, they turned my wristband back on, and I was back to buying drinks for everybody.'
Vine 32 uses a 'wine card' with a chip in it instead of a wristband, but operationally the system is the same. Put in the card, wait for the blinking light, then push a button for one of three pour sizes — the 'taste,' four ounces or six ounces.
'It allows us to offer different wines at different price points,' Leah Bellemore said. 'We're removing that pretentiousness that a lot of wine can have.'
PourMyBev, the parent company of industry-leading self-pour technology provider PourMyBeer, reported in 2024 that 133.9 million ounces were poured using self-pour technology, with beer accounting for 113.86 million ounces. The same year, 3.1 million customers were served, with $71.4 million in revenue generated for operators, the company reported.
Lang said SB79 is supported by the hospitality industry and the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire. The bill came out of committee in the state Senate with an "Ought to Pass" recommendation, and is currently in committee in the House.
Leah Bellemore said Vine 32 customers love the self-pour option.
'That first initial reaction where people are like 'self-pour, that's weird,' but as soon as they use it they're like, 'Oh my God, this is brilliant,'' Bellemore said. 'I don't see any reason why this isn't the future.'
