Ethiopian Hops and Other Weird Ingredients

The history of beer is strewn with styles you’ve never heard of. We all know about pilsners, and IPAs, and stouts, and ambers. But what about wit, a fizzy yellow Dutch beer made with coriander and grains of paradise? Or gruit, a Northern European style brewed with pine, sweet gale, or mugwort? Or T’ej, an … Read more

Alcohol Producers: Do I Need a Municipal Liquor License to Serve in my Tasting Room?

As many of you know, a significant portion of the work OG+S does is dedicated to the federal and state permitting that is required to open and operate a new brewery, brewpub, winery, or distillery. Inevitably, after the Federal (TTB) and State (DOR) permits are received, many clients ask, “Do I need a license from … Read more

No, Your Wisconsin Liquor Store/Tavern/Restaurant/Bar Cannot Direct Ship To Consumers.

Since I’ve gotten calls on this twice in the past two weeks, maybe it is good public information. No, your Wisconsin Liquor Store/Tavern/Restaurant/Bar cannot direct ship to consumers. It is certainly not legal to direct ship to consumers in Wisconsin. Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 125 requires “face-to-face” sales and prohibits delivery direct to consumers from any … Read more

Social Distancing: You Check Out Any Time You Like, But You Can Never Ship?

We’ve been getting a lot (a lot) of questions about how breweries, wineries, or distilleries can practice and encourage effective “social distancing” with their clientele. So, let’s review for the record: Basic Rule: Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries can sell at their place of manufacture/tasting room for off-premise consumption. In other words, they can all sell … Read more

Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers v TABC

In our ongoing coverage of the Supreme Court this term (apparently we’ve turned into a news feed), this week the United States Supreme Court weighed in on alcohol beverage distribution issues (Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Assn v. Tennessee Alcohol Beverage Commission, decided June 26, 2019). Justice Alito wrote the opinion for the majority (7-2), … Read more