September is National Service Dog Month! As we celebrate and commemorate these incredible animals and their teams this month, it is important to think beyond the fluffy-tailed cuteness to have a discussion regarding some of the everyday realities that service animal teams experience, and how this impacts your alcoholic beverage business. What Do Service Animals…
What is an Office Action? An Office Action is a type of rejection letter issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with respect to your trademark application. Office Actions may be issued, among other reasons, due to likelihood of confusion between your mark and a registered trademark, geographic descriptiveness, the generic or…
What is an Operating Agreement? An Operating Agreement is a contract between the members of an LLC which serves as the LLC’s governing document. The Operating Agreement outlines voting and ownership percentages, delegates authority to specific managers or members, and determines how distributions of profits and losses, and transfers of interest may occur, among other…
Business formation Before you start your new brewery, you should consider the different types of business structures under which your brewery could operate. There are several different forms of businesses such as Sole Proprietorships, Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), and Corporations. Before you start your brewery you should determine which structure is best for your…
We know that COVID has really taken its toll on a lot of small businesses in North Carolina, especially the craft beverage industry. Unfortunately, COVID and the government restrictions have closed a lot of our local bars. While it saddens us to see our favorite 80’s bar or the little dive place around the corner…
It’s October 27th which means it is National American Beer Day. National American Beer Day is a special day in North Carolina, because October is also North Carolina Beer Month. North Carolina, with over 300 breweries, has a booming beer industry. Grab a cold one and celebrate with these facts about the beer industry in…
Several new ABC-Related laws went into effect this past summer on July 1, 2020. We have compiled the new laws (which can be found on the Virginia ABC website) which are most likely to affect breweries, wineries, distilleries, and restaurants in Virginia. Mixed Beverage Referendum (HB2634 and SB1110) – This law permits Virginia ABC to sell…
Last week, Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order #169 allowing bars to reopen for outdoor alcohol consumption. Along with the outdoor service requirement came additional measures to address Covid-19 from the Governor and the ABC. The most notable of those measures is the continuation of temporary extensions of premises for on-premise consumption granted by the…
With the COVID-19 pandemic spreading throughout the world rapidly this year, the decision was made in April, during the height of the pandemic, to cancel Oktoberfest 2020 in Munich. While, many of us already know that it’s been cancelled, along with basically everything else this year, do you really know the story behind Oktoberfest and…
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…
Some people hoard toilet paper and some people buy a crap ton of beer. With alcohol and ABC stores having been declared “essential” during this time of chaos and Coronavirus, many people have truly taken advantage of alcohol being considered an essential item, which recent stats have shown. I guess it makes sense, there’s nothing…
We’re getting a lot of questions about specifics of curbside service for alcohol retailers. Here’s some helpful hints.
Managing your business during a crisis is never easy. The difficulty is compounded when the crisis is in your business AND all around you. Right now, as business owners and managers, you’re facing tough decisions about your staff and your business while staring down the barrel of uncertainty.
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.…
*This information can be found here. Start the new year off right by filing your TTB reports! Below is a couple of reports to be aware of (and ones you probably should be filing if you received your Brewers Notice). Quarterly filing of operations report Fill out form TTB F 5130.26 Only file out that…
Recently, a company called Groovy Guy Gifts reached out and asked me to test one of their products. I picked the Forged knife and had it engraved with my father’s name. My father loved the knife and added it to his growing collection of pocket knives. Reasonably priced, the quality is great, and the locking…
A lot of buzz has been devoted to producing beer with hemp seeds and hemp generally. So much traction that the plethora of articles on the Internet suggest that this is a new category of beer. Actually, the first commercially available hemp-brewed beer came from Frederick Brewing Company in 1997. Recently, more breweries across the…
The information for this blog post can be viewed here. This information pertains to North Carolina. A proposed rule for homebrew products & competitions was filed with the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings for approval. The comment period ends on November 5, 2018, and all comments can be emailed to walker.reagan@abc.nc.gov. The rule…
*This information is taken from the TTB. The full article can be read here. Transferring Beer The TTB recently made a change in how they interpret the law. Previously, federal law allowed only breweries of the same ownership to transfer beer between them without paying tax. Now, brewers can transfer beer between breweries not of…
*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…