The renewal deadline for municipal liquor licenses is coming up soon and because of the coming changes to Wis. Stat. Ch. 125 (2 weeks away!) we’ve gotten a lot of questions about what wineries are supposed to do this year with their license renewals – renew, or not renew? Our suggestion is not to renew. … Read more
I’ve never had a client say to me, “Oh Collin, we have plenty of time to get our Brewers Notice, no reason to rush!” Ha! Everyone is rushing all the time – they want to start making beer now! So…two quick points to make in this short post: What is the standard time for the … Read more
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
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
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
Actually, I have two. Or, to be more precise, Department of Revenue has two for you. Proposal 1: Fact Sheet 3111: When Must a Person Obtain an Alcohol Beverage Retail License? (Comment Period Closes April 10, 2019) Proposal 2: Fact Sheet 3112: Winery and Class “B” Beer License (Comment Period Closes April 16, 2019) In … Read more
The United States Tobacco and Trade Bureau (“TTB”) has finally issued guidance around the pieces of Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform (the TTB is not as good at acronyms or naming as our legislators) contained in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”). The Tax Act made a number of changes to … Read more