Government Affairs

Last week’s decision by Qatar officials to ban alcohol sales at stadiums – two days before the first 2022 FIFA World Cup match – could impact the relationship of FIFA and beer sponsor Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) through 2026.

Expect government agencies to take closer looks at mergers and acquisitions, and ramp up enforcement efforts around category management, tying and elusive conduct, McDermott Will & Emery partner Alva Mather said during a webinar last week.

The first goal of incoming Beer Institute (BI) chairman Anheuser-Busch CEO and North American zone president Brendan Whitworth is to continue delineating the differences between beer and hard liquor. In his address to the annual meeting of the trade group representing the country’s largest brewers, Whitworth highlighted three goals for his term leading the BI… Read more »

A lawsuit has been filed against New Jersey-based Cape May Brewing and the convenience chain Wawa, over the companies’ collaborative hard tea brand, Shore Tea.

New Jersey craft breweries are “disheartened” after the state Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (NJABC) moved forward on July 1 with special conditions for brewery license holders that limit brewers’ ability to host food trucks and events or sell beverages not produced on site, among other privileges.

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.

A bill to expand to-go sales from Minnesota craft breweries has been paired with a proposed agreement that all parties involved in the legislation’s negotiation – which include organizations representing the state’s craft brewers, wholesalers and liquor stores – would promise to refrain from promoting other alcohol-related laws for five years.

National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) members gathered in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with members of Congress in person for the first time in more than two years as part of the trade group’s annual legislative conference.

A bill introduced in the New Jersey state Senate last month proposes the creation of a new tax class for flavored malt beverages (FMBs). The bill would tax FMBs at $4.40 per gallon, far closer to New Jersey’s rate for distilled spirits ($5.50 per gallon) than for beer ($0.12 per gallon).

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) hosted a virtual listening session Tuesday with other members of Congress and a handful of bar and restaurant owners to discuss replenishment of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF).

The Brewers Association (BA) has tapped Nancy Palmer and Sam DeWitt to lead its state government affairs efforts. As the state government affairs managers – newly created roles within the BA – the two will support the trade group’s state-level legislative initiatives in coordination with brewery members and state guilds.

The leisure and hospitality industries have 1.5 million fewer employees than they did before the pandemic began, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) February 2022 employment report, released today.

Reactions to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s report on improving competition in the beverage-alcohol industry continue to roll in from industry experts.

Some hard seltzer brands may be excluded from grocery and convenience stores in Utah under an omnibus bill proposed in the state Senate. Alaska’s state Senate has passed a bill that would make it harder for breweries to open taprooms in the state.