Government Affairs

Bev-Alc Trade Groups Blast Dietary Guidelines Process

Bev-Alc Trade Groups Blast Dietary Guidelines Process

Beverage-alcohol industry trade groups didn’t hold back in their feedback to the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) about recent changes to the process by which the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) evaluates alcohol’s place in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).

BA Focusing on Legislation to Widen Market Access for Craft Brewers

BA Focusing on Legislation to Widen Market Access for Craft Brewers

The Brewers Association (BA) is prioritizing legislative efforts that widen craft brewers’ market access as the segment faces a challenging sales environment and narrowing distribution routes, BA general counsel Marc Sorini said during a presentation at the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) last month in Las Vegas.

Proposed Colorado Bill Would Double Bev-Alc Taxes to Fund Addiction Recovery Efforts

Proposed Colorado Bill Would Double Bev-Alc Taxes to Fund Addiction Recovery Efforts

A pair of alcohol-adjacent bills have been introduced in the Colorado Legislature. One (SB24-181) seeks to create a tax on beverage-alcohol products distributed in the state to fund “alcohol and related substance use disorder prevention, early intervention, treatment, harm reduction and recovery services” across Colorado.

CCBA Legislative Update: Beer Catering Permits, Amazon’s Tied House Challenge

CCBA Legislative Update: Beer Catering Permits, Amazon’s Tied House Challenge

California craft breweries may soon have an easier time selling their beer at special events beyond their taproom walls, thanks to the California Craft Brewers Association’s (CCBA) sponsored bill in 2024. AB 2174 would “authorize a licensed beer manufacturer to apply for, and the department to issue, a beer caterer’s permit for the sale of beer manufactured by or for the licensee for consumption at specified locations and events, including, among others, conventions, sporting events, and trade exhibits.”

New Jersey Legislature Passes Brewery Operations Reform Bill

New Jersey Legislature Passes Brewery Operations Reform Bill

For the second time, New Jersey craft breweries are a signature away from having a stringent set of restrictions on their taproom operations removed.

Both houses of the state Legislature passed Senate Bill 4265 and Assembly Bill 5912, which would allow craft breweries to host “an unlimited number of on-premises special events and private parties.”

Human Rights Campaign Suspends A-B’s Perfect Corporate Equality Score; Republican Senators Dig Into Dylan Mulvaney Partnership

Human Rights Campaign Suspends A-B’s Perfect Corporate Equality Score; Republican Senators Dig Into Dylan Mulvaney Partnership

After its request for a conversation with Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) leadership last month went unanswered, the Human Right Campaign (HRC) has suspended the perfect 100 score it gave A-B on its 2022 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which will prohibit the company from using the organization’s designation as one of the “Best Places to Work.”

Last Call: The World Beer Cup Returns; Baltimore County Offers $500K to Keep Guinness Baltimore Blonde Local

Last Call: The World Beer Cup Returns; Baltimore County Offers $500K to Keep Guinness Baltimore Blonde Local

More than 300 winners were honored during the Brewers Association’s (BA) 2023 World Beer Cup (WBC) during Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville this week. Guinness Baltimore Blonde – the signature offering of brewing operations at Diageo’s Relay, Maryland-based production facility – has become such a local icon that one Baltimore County official wants to invest $500,000 in a local brewer to keep the beer flowing, according to the Baltimore Banner.