Most people working for a U.S. packaging brewery are aware of so-called beer “franchise” laws. Such legislation—enacted in some form in most U.S. states—limits or restricts the ability of a brewer to change distributors. The author leaves for another article any discussion of the fairness and logic of such enactments. For now, this article explores some important basics about these laws and how they impact the brewer-distributor relationship.
This article was originally published in the November/December 2013 issue of The New Brewer.