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…
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…
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, 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…
*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. *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…
How to Start: *the Internet hosts a plethora of valuable resources on starting a winery. Specifically, Cornell University has a detailed mock business plan guide that can be found here. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Science produced a basic outline of the pertinent steps to take if/when you want to open…
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…
Breweries want to advertise their products and their beer. There is a correct way to advertise products and a-not-so-legal way to promote your business and beer. Check out the FAQs surrounding advertising. A PDF was created by the NC ABC. Can I place a dry erase board outside my business to advertise beer or wine…
The information for this blog is found on Brewer Advisory: Legislature Passes ABC Omnibus Legislation by Laura Collier and posted by the NC Craft Brewers Guild. Laura Collier is the legal advisor for the NC Guild, and her contact information is below. Senate Bill 155 and House Bill 500 Two important bills were passed in…
Compliance with Alcohol Part 5 of our Festival blog series. Check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 Are you compliant? Hopefully, yes. If not, hopefully these rules can help you. Serving alcohol in general follows a lot of strict rules. Below is a list of guidelines that breweries must follow to…
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.…