Hospitality Law Blog

Developments in Federal Law – Alcoholic Beverage Regulation: Congress Makes the CBMTRA Permanent and TTB Expands Allowable Standards of Fill

CBMTRA

To many, Washington D.C. has been consumed by COVID-19 and turbulence over the election, but to the alcoholic beverage industry there has been one goal dominating policy discussions: to make permanent the 2017 Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMTRA), which was slated for expiration on December 31, 2020. More >

Contract Brewing in a Nutshell

The brewing world has come a long way over the past ten years.  Local breweries are an everyday part of our lives providing a wide variety of product on a local, regional and national level to even the most novice of beer drinkers.  As a result of this boon, there are endless opportunities to become a part of the craft beer movement.  One of these opportunities is afforded through the concept of contract brewing. Contract brewing is a burgeoning trend whereby an aspiring, or existing, brewer contracts with another brewery to brew and package beer on their behalf. This may be done for several reasons, such as the desire for a small business to get its foot into the brewing door, the expanded capacity or bottling ability of the contract brewer.  The Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (“TTB”), which oversees many federal alcohol regulations, considers contract brewing arrangements to be “ordinary commercial agreements.” As alcohol production is a highly-regulated industry, there are still, of course, several regulations and considerations in place with respect to brewing beer on a contract basis, so what follows is a brief overview of the various federal law issues at play. More >