Following the Brewers Association’s (BA) annual Craft Brewers Conference, general counsel Marc Sorini and federal affairs director Katie Marisic join the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the trade group’s legislative agenda and what’s on the regulatory horizon for the craft beer industry.
The conversation centers on the spirits industry’s push to achieve parity between spirits-based, ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails and beer, both in taxation and market access. Although equivalization has been making headlines lately, it’s nothing new, Sorini said.
“We’ve seen in 20 years the palette has shifted and if the palette shifts to places where beer is disadvantaged, where beer isn’t going to play, it’s a very existential threat to not just a small number of companies but all of our members,” he said.
This year, the BA is emphasizing its focus on the USPS Shipping Equity Act (H.R.3287/S.1663), which would allow the postal service to ship alcoholic beverages the way that private carriers such as UPS and FedEx do. The legislation would only apply in states where direct-to-consumer shipping of bev-alc products is currently legal.
“The Postal Service was built to send mail to all of us, and the private carriers don’t always necessarily fulfill that role, or if they do, it might be cost prohibitive,” Marisic said. “We would like to see the Postal Service be allowed to compete in that market.”
In addition to their conversation with Marisic and Sorini, the Brewbound team also hosts Selling Craft Beer’s Sean McNulty to discuss recent news including Boston Beer’s Canadian cannabev, Minnesota finally freeing the growler and Anderson Valley’s vow not to raise price for six months.
Listen to the episode above and on popular platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher and Spotify.
Have questions, feedback, or ideas for podcast guests or topics? Email podcast@brewbound.com.