Imagine a business–call it Mobile Bar–that brings the bar to you. You hire Mobile Bar for a reception, party or other event held at your home, office, or other private property. Mobile Bar has a cool, old trailer, truck, or standing bar that it brings to your location. Mobile Bar handles buying all the beer, wine and liquor and...
Continue ReadingIt’s natural to want to expand a successful brewery and taproom to new parts of the state. Before launching that second Florida location for your brewery or taproom, Florida brewery owners should pay attention to the following three considerations.
Continue ReadingFlorida’s 150 Year Old Alcohol Adulteration Statute The Florida Beverage Law is, in many instances, confusing, contradictory, and just plain weird. It is also unenforceable in some aspects. Take for instance Florida’s Adulterated Liquor Statute, Florida Statutes Section 562.455. First enacted in 1868, the relatively short Adulterated Liquor Statute makes it a felony of the third degree to include...
Continue ReadingAlcoholic beverage retailers–including bars, restaurants, breweries, wineries, and distilleries–are often asked to provide off-site alcohol service–catering–for a range of events. In Florida, there are a limited number of ways in which an alcohol retailer can participate in providing alcohol service away from its licensed premises. Option 1: Sales to Private Party for Open Bar Alcohol retailers that have a...
Continue ReadingWhat happens when a Florida licensed beverage company violates the Florida Beverage Law? In 1994, the ABT issued penalty guidelines concerning single and repeated violations of the Florida Beverage Law. While these penalty guidelines have not been updated to reflect all changes to the law since 1994, it is a helpful guide to the ABT’s disciplinary actions. Unfortunately, the...
Continue ReadingHow a Florida law designed to prevent the “evil” of vertical integration in the alcoholic beverage industry limits the ability of suppliers to help you buy their products. Tied Houses, Evil and Otherwise The term “Tied House Evil” appears in the heading to Florida Statutes Section 561.42. Although the term is nowhere defined in the Florida Statutes, it is...
Continue ReadingHi Brewers’ Law distillers, vintners, brewers, distributors, industry followers! Kara Ann Groves here of Groves Law, the ag-focused branch of BrewerLong, subbing in to bring you the crossover you didn’t know you needed. I’ve been around since the start of Brewers’ Law, and we now collectively service and connect producers and wholesalers across these industries. And SB 46, or...
Continue ReadingThe 2021 Session of the Florida Legislature will result in major changes to the Florida Beverage Laws affecting how craft distilleries and restaurants sell alcoholic products. Both houses of the Florida Legislature passed two major bills related to alcoholic beverage sales: SB 46 and SB 148. As of this writing, neither bill has been sent to the Governor, but...
Continue ReadingIf life is a highway, where do you stop for a drink? With over 274,000 lane miles–seventh most in the United States (per Cubit’s Blog)–Florida offers a lot of ways for people to get to where they’re going, including breweries, wineries, and distilleries. To help people get there, the Florida Statutes authorize roadway directional signs for qualifying alcoholic beverage...
Continue ReadingReady-to-drink (RTD) or canned cocktails are growing in popularity. According to Grand View Research, the global RTD cocktails market is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 12.1% from 2020 through 2027. Kevin Roberts, the executive vice president of supplier engagement for the alcohol distributor Breakthru Beverage Group, said “You have a convenience trend happening, you have...
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