State Laws

In roughly half the United States, a growing number of hemp-based THC products are finding customers, often in a regulatory vacuum. There are opportunities there for small breweries—but there are also plenty of questions yet to be resolved.

The double standard around shipping alcohol across state lines continues unabated in 2024, as breweries have yet to find parity with wineries in regard to state laws that limit interstate shipments.

An annual survey of drinking-age adults again finds that many would spend to have beer shipped to their homes from other states—if they could.

Whether farm breweries are out in the country or right downtown, state licenses for them depend on flexible benchmarks for local ingredients. There are lessons to be learned for any state considering similar privileges for breweries that aim to buy local.

Online beers sales are growing, but there are complex state and local rules that must be understood to be followed. Knowing and following those rules is key to further expanding this avenue to additional sales.

The Brewers Association and Sovos ShipCompliant have teamed up on a report that gauges drinkers’ interest in having beer shipped to their homes. Among craft beer drinkers, 84 percent say state laws should be updated to allow it.

Alex Koral, senior regulatory counsel of Sovos ShipCompliant, shares his expertise on the changing regulatory landscape for brewers considering whether to send beer directly to their customers.

State laws often stand in the way of direct-to-customer shipping. Perhaps not for long.