It’s no surprise that someone figured out a way to make a light, low-cal, refreshing alcoholic beverage perfect for those hot summer days on the beach that we all know as seltzers. What is a surprise is that, with all the hype over “only 90 calories” seltzer drinks, is that the production of these alcoholic…
We’re getting a lot of questions about the differences between Private Bars and Private Clubs in NC. That means it’s time to blog about it! Background NC has had the Private Club designation for Retail alcohol sales permits for a long time. But, the NC Legislature recently made a change. The 2019 legislative session saw…
We’re getting a lot of questions about specifics of curbside service for alcohol retailers. Here’s some helpful hints.
Recently we had a potential client contact us because the NC ABC threatened to shut down his alcohol establishment. Sounds sad, but we discovered a major compliance issue. The man, let’s say his name was George, was part owner of a nightclub in Downtown Raleigh. He received a letter from the ABC on Friday morning.…
*Please keep in mind that this is information is specific to North Carolina law. Contact an attorney in your state or your state’s alcohol beverage commission’s office to find out specific information about this. People use the term “brown bagging” a lot, but when it comes to alcohol it has a very specific meaning-one that…
*Please keep in mind that this is information is specific to North Carolina law. Contact an attorney in your state to find out specific information about this. House Bill 500 (HB 500) from the North Carolina General Assembly has been presented to Governor Roy Cooper for his signature. The Bill contains several changes to ABC…
*Please keep in mind that this is information is specific to North Carolina law. Contact an attorney in your state to find out specific information about this. *This information is provided by the NC Craft Brewers Guild. Read the original article here. North Carolina now allows breweries and distilleries to be featured on highway road…
*Please keep in mind that this is information is specific to North Carolina law. Contact an attorney in your state to find out specific information about this. *This information is provided by the NC Craft Brewers Guild. Read the original article here. As many of you know, if you have an On-Premise Malt Beverage permit…
Everything you need to know and probably more than you want to know about kombucha. I admit, I don’t think we have a client that produces kombucha. But, there must be a brewer out there who wants to know more about kombucha. Here you go: What is kombucha? Kombucha refers to a fermented beverage produced…
For this blog post I want to talk about two forms that are pretty standard for a TTB application, regardless of whether or not you’re a distillery or brewery. The forms are the Power of Attorney form and the Signing Authority form-both of which are linked below. What are the Power of Attorney and Signing…
Much like everything with alcohol it’s complicated. The ABC (specifically North Carolina General Statute §18-B-303 & §18B-400) details the exact rules, amounts, and volume of alcohol you can transport without getting a permit. I’ve divided alcohol into three categories: (1) beer, (2) unfortified wine, and (3) spirituous liquor & fortified wine. You do NOT need…
When you apply for your NC ABC permits you need to submit a Recycling Compliance form. We know that recycling is not the sexist or most titillating of reads, but hopefully some of you will find this information helpful. The information for this blog can be found here. Why do I have to recycle? All…
This week’s blog post might be a real downer to some of you who look forward to happy hour. *North Carolina does NOT allow happy hour for alcohol. Eating establishments can offer happy hour for food only. See ABC Rule 2S.0232 (b). The ABC Commission has compiled “Happy Hours FAQs” that sheds some light on…
Compliance at Festivals in NC: Quality Control Tasting & Attire Part 4 of our Festival blog series. Check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 Are you compliant? Hopefully, yes. If not, hopefully these rules can help you. We’ve (mostly the ABC) have broken down compliance issues into four parts: pre-festival/event, staffing at the festival/event, quality…
Part 3 of our Festival blog series. Check out Part 1 and Part 2 Are you compliant? Hopefully, yes. If not, hopefully these rules can help you. We’ve (mostly the ABC) have broken down compliance issues into four parts: pre-festival/event, staffing at the festival/event, quality control testing, and festival/event attire. This blog focuses on pre-festival/event…
Part 2 of our Festivals series blog posts. Check out Part 1. For this blog post we highlight the differences between two commonly used permits: the Malt Beverage Special Event Permit and the Winery Special Event Permit. Malt Beverage Special Event Permit If you have a Malt Beverage Special Event Permit you are allowed to…
Part 1 of our festival blog post series. It’s summer. It’s hot outside. Outdoor festivals and events ensue. Our next couple of blog posts will be breaking down the NC ABC’s rules for festivals/events. Stay tuned for our posts! The NC ABC has some pretty strict rules on the co-mingling of alcohol and festivals/events.…
What are they? Do I need a permit? What does the label look like? So many questions, and hopefully this article will help clear up some confusion. Growlers are a rigid glass, plastic, aluminum, or stainless steel container with a flip-top or screw-on lid that is no larger than two 2 liters (0.5283 gallons) into…
Common ABC Permits in NC NC ABC* in regards to beer** *This article ONLY pertains to ABC permits in North Carolina. ** The NC ABC deals with more than just beer, but for the purposes of this article we are only talking about permits as they relate to beer. Once you receive your Brewers Notice…
What is it and FAQs *This article ONLY pertains to private clubs in North Carolina. I stumbled upon this helpful “Frequently Asked Questions” pamphlet that the NC ABC Commission wrote. Click here to read more FAQs. Underlined portions are added for emphasis. The link to the original PDF is below. A private club is an…