Legislative, Government Affairs & Legal Updates

As states grapple with reopening for business in face of the COVID-19 pandemic, one Maine brewpub owner opted to defy the reopening plan Gov. Janet Mills laid out last week that orders restaurants to remain shut for on-premise dining until June.

The near-nationwide shutdown of the on-premise channel will result in a loss of $8 billion for the beer industry if it continues into June, National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones said during a State of the Industry webinar hosted by the NBWA and the Beer Institute (BI).

The Brewers Association (BA) laid off 23% of its staff last week “in order to maintain the long-term viability” of the national trade group, which represents the interests of small and independent U.S. craft brewers.

More aid money is on the way for small businesses. President Donald Trump today signed into law a fourth stimulus package that includes $310 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which ran out of money and stopped accepting applications on April 16.

The Brewers Association (BA) today announced it has formed a partnership with nonprofit fundraising organization Bottleshare to establish the “Believe in Beer Fund” to support breweries and state brewers guilds across the country that have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

German officials today cancelled the country’s famed Oktoberfest celebration due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. The California Craft Brewers Association — a nonprofit trade group that represents the interests of the state’s craft brewers — announced today the cancellation of its “Craft Beer Summit,” which was scheduled for September 9-12 in Long Beach.

After being shut out of receiving loans from the coronavirus relief bill’s Paycheck Protection Program, small business owners have filed class action lawsuits against some of the country’s biggest banks, alleging unfair business practices and fraud.

Just two weeks after it began accepting applications, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ran out of funds on Thursday, April 16.

By most metrics, small and independent craft brewing companies posted solid volume growth in 2019. However, the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many craft brewers into “survival mode,” is overshadowing 2019’s growth.

Volume growth for the nation’s small and independent craft breweries held steady at nearly 4% in 2019, as the overall beer industry’s volume declined 2%, according to trade group the Brewers Association’s annual craft beer growth report.

Stone Brewing Company laid off employees of its restaurants, taprooms and distributions sales force, which amounted about 306 workers. Some state lawmakers have proposed bills that would extend business interruption insurance clauses to cover losses sustained from closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many craft breweries are applying for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a pillar of the $2 trillion CARES Act relief package that rolled out last week, but several say they have concerns with the bumpiness of its introduction.

Cody Morris is reincarnating out of code draft beer as hand sanitizer. A professional brewer and the son of distillery owners, he knew that all the beer sitting idle in kegs could be distilled into hand sanitizer, which is needed for essential workers nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Brewers Association’s Craft Brewers Conference will go on in 2020 — at a social distance. The trade group that represents small and independent craft brewers today announced plans to hold the event virtually over the next five weeks, from April 13 through May 15, with many days featuring two live streamed seminars.