Choosing a great name for your new brew can reinforce the brand positioning of your brewery and create a certain excitement about the beer. Of course, the name has absolutely no impact on the quality of the beer (Heady Topper by any other name would still smell as dank), but it’s still an important aspect […]
As you probably know, new legislation allows craft brewers to serve beer for consumption on-premises in quantities larger than just the typical 2-ounce tasting glass. “It comes in pints!?” The only caveat is that food has to be offered along with the beers. I’m pretty excited about this new law and I’ve been reviewing it […]
What do a horse, a harp, and an American revolutionary all have in common? They are all symbols of famous beers, of course. When people see those symbols on a bottle of beer, they can immediately identify where the beer comes from. The same goes for the names of those beers. When people think about […]
In my last blog post, The Importance of Trademark Registration for Breweries, I discussed the importance and benefits of obtaining federal trademark registrations for your brewery and important individual beer names. Now, we are going to talk about how a brewer should go about choosing, searching, and clearing brewery/beer names. First, a little background: there […]
Congratulations! Your craft brewery is doing well and you are poised for growth! It is important to remember, however, that growth entails change and both TTB and the NY State Liquor Authority require that changes to any of the information contained in your original Brewer’s Notice and state license application be reported and, in many […]
As any member of the New York State Brewers Association will know, Americans may be drinking less beer, but when they do, craft beer is increasingly their choice. The national Brewers Association’s data for 2013 (available here) show that while the overall beer market contracted by 1.9%, craft beer increased its market share to 7.8% with […]
The craft beer market has exploded recently and will continue to grow well into the future. Without knowing what specific challenges each brewery faces, it is difficult to address a ‘general issue”. Suffice to say, your suppliers need to get closer to you, their customer, and ensure they are working diligently to help keep you […]
“Growing Pains” As your business blossoms and demand for your products grow, you will, of necessity, consider moving from self-distribution to the use of full time beer distributors. Because of New York’s beer distribution Franchise Protection Law, you will need to give very careful consideration to your distribution choices as you expand. Once appointed, you […]
So you’ve got a brewery or you’re planning to start a brewery, what are the typical issues you worry about? Financing, federal and state licensing, recipe formulation, hop contracts, distribution, employees, mash pH, and a million other things. One issue that is frequently overlooked by both new and experienced brewers, however, is federal trademark registration. […]
According to the Brewer’s Association, in 1994 there were less than 200 microbreweries in the US. By the time 2012 rolled around there were over 1500. In 2013 alone, 300 microbreweries opened nationally. In 2011, New York State contained 75 microbreweries, and by 2013 was home to 165. That is over a 200% increase in […]