Category: Regulatory Compliance
News TTB Takes Input from Brewers on Ingredient Labelling
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is considering whether to require nutritional information on alcoholic beverages such as what the Food and Drug Administration has long required on other foods and beverages. The TTB is currently taking public comment – including those from the industry – until March 29.
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News Featured Interview: Bravus Brewing – First Non-Alcoholic Brewery in US
When Phillip Brandes started the first non-alcoholic brewery in North America in 2015, little did he know that this tiny segment would soon become the fastest growing category in beer. Phillip, who uses a proprietary method to make beer with less than 0.05% abv, is now discovering the advantages – and the challenges, of selling non-alc beer.
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News TTB Continues ‘Boot Camp for Brewers’ with Three Upcoming Webinars
The Alcohol Tobacco and Tax Trade Bureau has announced three new classes in the online “Boot Camp for Brewers” webinar series which allow brewers to tune in to educational videos relating to specific TTB requirements. The three new webinars include Labeling, Low/No Alcohol Beers and Advertising for Wine, Distilled Spirits, and Malt Beverages.
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News The Tax Man is Watching – TTB Accepts ‘Offers in Compromise’ for Alleged Tax Violations
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has accepted an “offer in compromise” from five alcohol beverage industry companies in the last few months for alleged tax violations. The amount of the compromise in these five cases ranged from $57,000 to $1.17 million.
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Expert Topic Understanding Uncommon Adjuncts
Craft brewers hated adjunct beers and told everyone willing to listen. They derided beers made with rice and corn, claiming they cheapened the industrial lagers they were used in. Opposition to adjuncts helped define an early era of craft beer. Then that all changed.
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News Possible Government & TTB Shutdown Could Impact Brewers
With Congress back in business after the summer recess, they now have until Sept. 30th to pass the 2024 fiscal year budget. Although Congress could enact a short-term budget to keep the government open until negotiations are complete, it is not a certainty, and brewers should prepare for a possible shutdown of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) non-essential services such as label approvals, formula approvals and brewers’ notices.
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Expert Topic Raising Clean Water Awareness: How To Get Involved
Without clean water, every brewery would be out of business. So maintaining access to clean water is key for anybody in the brewing industry. But how do you as a brewer get involved in advocating for protecting this crucial natural resource? We spoke with an expert on the subject.
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News Important Craft Beverage Modernization Act Changes for Foreign Producers and Importers
Starting January 1, 2023, changes to the Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA) will require foreign producers of beer, wine, and distilled spirits to register with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) before their US importers can take advantage of reduced tax rates or credits on the imported products. CBMA tax benefits are limited in quantity, and foreign producers may only assign a certain number of benefits to their US importers for each category of product imported.
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News TTB and IRS Descend on Southern Glazer’s Northern California Office
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) descended on the Union City offices of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits last week according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Union City is located just across the Bay Bridge from San Francisco.
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News New Jersey Brewery Sues State ABC Over New Restrictions
Last July the New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) released new restrictions on breweries in the state such as limiting the number of events a taproom can host annually, placing a cap on the number of special events a brewery can hold and prohibiting food trucks at breweries among other restrictions.
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News Back to the Past – New Jersey ABC Sets Harsh New Restrictions on Breweries
The New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has released long-awaited new restrictions on breweries in the state, shoving craft brewers back to the past by imposing new restrictions on their businesses. The new ABC ruling places restrictions on the number of events a taproom can host annually, puts a cap on special events a brewery can hold, prohibits food trucks at breweries and even prohibits a brewery from selling coffee at taprooms. There are a total of 18 new restrictions that breweries must now comply with.
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News TTB Proposes Time-Saving Changes for Brewers
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is continuing its effort to streamline the licensing and permitting process for alcohol beverage industry members. The latest TTB rulemaking proposal would streamline much of the qualification requirements for Brewer’s Notices as well as cut back on the requirements for reporting certain brewery businesses changes.
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News TTB New Online Portal Goes Live
The new TTB portal page is now live and can be accessed here. The new site provides a preview of the “one-stop shop” experience to access TTB online services and is another step towards myTTB, the agencies new integrated and personalized online system for industry members to transact business with TTB.
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News TTB Extends Temporary Allowances for the Manufacture of Hand Sanitize
Due to the continuation of the Food and Drug Administration’s temporary guidance related to the manufacture of hand sanitizer and denatured alcohol for use in hand sanitizer, the TTB announced today that the agency will be extending the authorizations provided in TTB G 2020-1C through December 31, 2021.
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News TTB Accepts $325K Settlement from IBEV for Trade Practice Violations
The Alcohol Tobacco and Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) recently accepted a $325,000 offer in compromise from beer distribution company Iowa Beverage Systems (IBEV), to settle alleged trade practice violations. The violations included purchasing tap handles and making payments to a retailer in exchange for only buying IBEV products.
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News TTB Seeks Input on Promoting Competition – Brewers Can Submit Comments
In response to a recent Executive Order from the White House on promoting competition in the American market, the Treasury Department has issued a request for information to solicit comments about the current market structure and competition in the U.S. beer, wine, and spirits markets.
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