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.
Submit Legislative News
If you have insights into recent regulatory or legislative news related to the beer or beverage-alcohol industry, please submit your news to your team.
Seven of the 10 largest Brewers Association-defined craft breweries recorded production volume declines in 2025, according to data shared by the trade group in the May/June Issue of The New Brewer magazine.
Craft brewers’ production volume fell a collective 5.1% in 2025, according to the Brewers Association’s (BA) annual Industry Production Report, published today.
Anyone looking for an answer to when craft’s current era of compounding hurdles and declines will come to an end received a reality check Wednesday during Brewers Association (BA) president and CEO Bart Watson’s state of the industry address, held at the start of Day 2 of the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) in Indianapolis.
Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson explored why draft beer sales have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels in his latest members’ only analysis.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot proposed a new business relief package Wednesday, which includes the implementation of a 10 p.m. curfew on off-premise alcohol sales; alcohol to-go sales and delivery will no longer be allowed in Massachusetts after the Commonwealth’s state of emergency ends June 15.
The U.S. beer industry’s economic output has increased by $4 billion since 2018, which is equivalent to 1.6% of the U.S. gross domestic product, according to the “Beer Serves America” report — a biennial study commissioned by the Beer Institute (BI) and the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).
In a year in which the COVID-19 pandemic robbed alcoholic beverage producers of on-premise occasions for the majority of 2020, and forced consumer purchasing to shift to off-premise retailers and e-commerce, 36 of the top 50 Brewers Association-defined craft brewing companies recorded volume declines, according to data published in the May/June edition of the New Brewer magazine. Those numbers were not unexpected given last year’s challenges.
The Sheehan family civil lawsuit continues to play out in Massachusetts’ Suffolk Superior Court. In the latest development, the defendants, Gerald “Jerry” and Maureen Sheehan, along with several of the family businesses, have asked the court to dismiss all counts against them, according to a February 18 filing that hit the docket last week.
Sparkling hard tea and canned cocktail company Loverboy has filed a civil suit against Night Shift Distributing (NSD), citing fraud and breach of contract, in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts on May 7.
The BA is accepting grant applications on a rolling basis through November 1. The trade group’s Philanthropy and Outreach Subcommittee — a newly formed division of the organization’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee — will consider applications each month.
As allegations of sexual harassment, assault and other workplace hostilities continue to come to light on social media, the Brewers Association (BA) announced Wednesday several initiatives to combat the seemingly pervasive toxicity in the craft beer industry.
Just days after an amendment to allow shipping of alcoholic beverages via the United States Postal Service died, the legislation was resurrected as the “USPS Shipping Equity Act” and introduced into Congress on Monday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill Wednesday making permanent alcohol to-go sales in Texas, the Texas Tribune reported.
Heineken USA today announced a pair of sports sponsorships — including the company’s first National Football League partnership — signaling the company’s ongoing interest in building its business with professional sports leagues, teams and arenas. However, the company remains embroiled in what started as a trademark infringement lawsuit and has evolved into a trade practice dispute between the Duch beer giant and Miami-based Biscayne Bay Brewing centered around the latter’s now terminated sponsorship with the Inter Miami MLS team.
At present, malt- and sugar-based RTDs, such as Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw and Boston Beer Company’s Truly Hard Seltzer, can be sold at beer distributors, which offer retail beer sales. Wine-based RTDs are available at Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board-run (PLCB) stores and off-premise retailers licensed to sell wine. However, spirits-based RTDs are only available via the PLCB’s stores.
Under SB 623, which was referred to the Senate law and justice committee on May 3, breweries and wholesalers would have to revisit their distribution contracts every five years. If the contract cannot be renegotiated after five years, the parties must enter mediation with a mutually agreed upon mediator or, failing that, a mediator appointed by “a court of competent jurisdiction.”
Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson dives into craft beer’s 2020 trends and looks ahead to 2021 on the latest edition of Brewbound Data Club. Watson discusses brewery opening and closing numbers, packaging format trends, and the growth of beyond beer offerings by small craft producers.
