Legislative, Government Affairs & Legal Updates

Stay informed on the latest beer industry, legislative, government affairs and legal news, including updates on the Brewers Association and NBWA. Understand the evolving beverage alcohol regulatory and legal environment that can directly impact your distribution, retail efforts, intellectual property, packaging and ingredients.

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Featured Legislative, Government Affairs & Legal Updates Content

Craft Navigating a ‘Perfect Storm’ of Waning Consumer Demand, Distributor Disinterest and Dried-Up Draft Sales

Craft Navigating a ‘Perfect Storm’ of Waning Consumer Demand, Distributor Disinterest and Dried-Up Draft Sales

Craft beer has entered “no to negative growth territory,” Brewers Association (BA) chief economist Bart Watson said during a year-end webinar last week. “We were in double-digit growth as recently as 2014, 2015, and then we moved into kind of a more developed, slow, single-digit growth rate,” Watson said. “COVID hit, and we had the worst year in craft history in 2020 with a partial bounce back in 2021.

Additional Content

California Approves Hemp THC Ban

California Approves Hemp THC Ban

Hemp-derived THC beverages and edibles are now officially off limits in California after the state’s Office of Administrative Law approved Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed emergency ban on Monday.

CA Closing Door On Hemp-Derived THC Products

CA Closing Door On Hemp-Derived THC Products

Citing concerns over public health, California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed heavy restrictions Friday on “intoxicating hemp products.” Through an emergency regulation, Newsom proposed removing food and beverage products containing hemp extract from stores within the Golden State.

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).

Ohio-Based Urban Artifact Brewing Files DTC Lawsuit Against Pennsylvania

Ohio-Based Urban Artifact Brewing Files DTC Lawsuit Against Pennsylvania

Cincinnati, Ohio-based Urban Artifact Brewing has filed a lawsuit against Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) chairman Tim Holden and Pennsylvania State Police commissioner Col. Christopher Paris alleging the state “enforce[s] cost-prohibitive trade barriers on out-of-state breweries” and those barriers “prevent out-of-state breweries from competing freely with in-state breweries in violation of the dormant Commerce Clause.”

BuzzBallz Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Beverage Ranch

BuzzBallz Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Beverage Ranch

BuzzBallz has made its spherical bottles an essential part of the brand – and it’s not eager to share. The wine-, spirit- and malt-based cocktail brand filed a lawsuit against The Beverage Ranch last week, alleging the rival company copied its patented packaging for its new SlamZees line.