If you have been paying attention to what is happening in the brewing industry in Pennsylvania, you’ve noticed that there has been much discussion about the imposition of sales tax on beer manufactured in Pennsylvania and how that might affect consumer prices.  There was a lot of uncertainty about how new regulations from the Department of Revenue will be instituted and how sales tax will be charged on beer produced within the state. You may…

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, somewhat quietly, has issued a sales tax bulletin recently setting forth some guidance which lays the groundwork for the Department of Revenue to begin imposing a 6% sales tax on products served by Pennsylvania breweries in their taproom to customers. This would include draft beers that are sold onsite and six packs and growlers which are sold for off premises consumption. There didn’t appear to be a lot of buzz…

When the Pennsylvania Liquor Code was amended recently to allow distributors to sell growlers, some savvy individuals realized that the boundaries could be pushed, and other types of ready-to-consume beverages may be able to fit within the parameters of what beer distributors may now sell in a “growler”. One of the biggest trends in the beer distributor business has been the sale of alcoholic slushies. When this first started, there was much discussion and debate…

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board announced its seventh auction of expired restaurant liquor licenses and will be accepting bids until October 30th. While this may sound like good news if you are an aspiring restaurateur in the mid-state area, don’t get your hopes up just yet. As with its prior auctions, the PLCB is only auctioning licenses in the counties where there remains a quota of unexpired licenses, so there are no licenses available in…

It was announced on Wednesday that one of the more popular craft breweries in the country, Wicked Weed Brewing out of Ashville, North Carolina, was acquired by Anheuser-Busch, the world’s largest producer of beer.  Interestingly (but not surprising if you follow the craft beer industry) the announcement was met with significant backlash from the craft beer community.  The acquisition garnered significant criticism on Twitter, with many accusing Wicked Weed of “selling out.” The deal…

Spring is here… flowers are blooming, lawn mowers are returning to use, the weather is warming, and Pennsylvania lawmakers are furiously trying to fill a huge budget gap.  The budget deficit that lawmakers are tasked with addressing has been reported to be nearly $3 billion dollars.  With a budget deficit that large, it makes sense that all options are on the table.  If you’ve been following the news surrounding the budget, you have probably heard…

I have the pleasure of working with numerous clients who own bars, restaurants, hotels and breweries, so when Nate Bunty asked me to participate in an Expert Interview on Liquor Liability I was happy to share some of the knowledge and experience I have gained over the years. Nate is the Managing Partner of Heritage Insurance Agency and the interview included many topics of interest unique to the hospitality industry. Nate specializes in meeting the…