Blog Posts: Lawyers on Tap

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The attorneys of Verrill are here to help your business navigate the complex world of beverage law. This blog keeps you informed of the latest news and legal updates in the beverage industry so you and your company can focus on doing what it does best, making great products.

9:00PM “Curfew” Announced for Some Maine Businesses During Thanksgiving Week

Starting tomorrow, Friday, November 19, certain Maine businesses will be required to close their doors at 9:00PM each day, through Sunday, December 6. With increasing numbers of positive COVID-19 cases and holiday gatherings expected throughout the state, the Mills Administration announces this and other public and safety measures in...
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When the Weather Outside Gets Frightful: Moving Indoors in COVID-19

As the sun fades on another Maine summer and autumn rushes by, the appeal of outdoor seating at tasting rooms, bars, and restaurants starts to fade like our fall colors. Yes, there are space heaters and those fancy tables with fire pits in the middle of them, but all...
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What You Need to Know Before Opening Your Outdoor Tasting Room

As part of Maine’s phased reopening of its economy, breweries, distilleries, and wineries without restaurant licenses were deemed bars. As a result, in guidance issued by Maine’s Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations (BABLO) on May 14, 2020, breweries were prohibited from opening their tasting room until July...
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Hand Sanitizer Relief for Distilled Spirits Extension

On May 18, 2020, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau issued Public Guidance TTB G 2020-4 regarding the Tax-Free Withdrawal of Distilled Spirits and Products Containing Distilled Spirits for Hand Sanitizer Purposes under the CARES Act and TTB Guidance . Through this Guidance, the TTB addressed tax...
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BABLO Issues Guidance on Reopening

On May 14, 2020, the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations (BABLO) issued a memorandum providing guidance for which licensees will be considered a “restaurant” and which will be considered a “bar” under the Stay Safer at Home Executive Order. We highly recommend reading the entire memorandum to...
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Distilled Spirits Permittees: What You Need to Know About Producing Hand Sanitizer

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it a great deal of uncertainty for businesses and people around the world. Many have been scrambling to find supplies, from toilet paper to hand sanitizer, and additional retail locations are temporarily closing their doors each day. Recognizing that hand sanitizer is crucial...
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Join Us at The 2019 New England Craft Brew Summit

Join us this Friday, March 1, at the 2019 New England Craft Brew Summit at the Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland, Maine. The premier regional, craft beer industry business-to-business conference will be jam-packed with seminars on a variety of topics geared towards business operations, technical brewing and...
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Government Shutdown Impacts Breweries

Planning to brew something that needs a formula approval or a COLA approval? Have a new facility in the works? If so, you might want to reconfigure your schedule because the government shutdown has caused the TTB to suspend many of its functions . While you can still access...
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The TTB is Watching – Beverage Community Asked to Self-Report Violations

beer tap
As the TTB enters a more user-friendly phase with its updated online registration portal, it is important to remember that it remains an enforcement arm of the federal government for the beverage alcohol community. In a somewhat ominous circular, the TTB requested that "each industry member review its promotional...
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(PODCAST) Tap Tips for Entity Formation and Taxation

Brew Room
In this episode of Verrill Voices: Lawyers on Tap, Verrill Dana attorneys Jennifer Green and Jonathan Dunitz discuss the importance of entity formation to the overall success of a brewery business, and the differences between forming an entity using widely available online resources versus doing so with the assistance...
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Lawyers on Tap in Nashville

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Next week, on April 30, thousands from the craft brewing community will take over America's Music City for the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America , presented by the Brewers Association. Joining them at this year's conference are Verrill Dana Lawyers on Tap, Tawny Alvarez and Jonathan Dunitz...
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America’s Craft Beer Community Springs into Nashville

This spring, the craft brewing community will take over America's Music City for the Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America® , presented by the Brewers Association, from April 30 to May 3. Joining them at this year's conference is Verrill Dana's own Jonathan Dunitz who will co-present, "From 1...
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A Guy Walks Into a Bar...

Manning the bar
In an article for Craft Brewing Business , Lawyers on Tap attorney Jonathan Dunitz discusses how an improperly cleaned tap line can lead to not only serious lifelong health problems for the beer drinker, but also a significant verdict against the establishment who served the beer and its vendor...
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Lawyers on Tap: Risk Management Podcast Series

In a special three-part miniseries for the Verrill Voices podcast, attorney Jonathan Dunitz discusses risk management for breweries and brewpubs with a successful brewery owner, a leading insurance agent in the craft beverage industry, and an experienced corporate attorney. The podcast series takes owners of new and growing breweries...
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Social Media is an (age) gated community

Few brewers would dream of serving someone in their brewery or tasting room without checking an ID to ensure that all the craft beer lovers in the room are of legal drinking age. When it comes to their virtual breweries and tasting rooms, however, there appears to be a...
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Tips on Tap for Breweries on the Journey from Passion to Profit

As the number of craft breweries across the country continues to grow, Verrill Dana's Breweries, Distilleries & Wineries Group presents Tap Tips Podcast Miniseries to help brewers on the journey from passion to profit. The miniseries contains eight episodes to assist up-and-coming brewmasters and brewery owners to think critically...
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Labels – It’s Not just the TTB that’s watching

As purveyors of beverages containing alcohol, most craft brewers, distillers and wineries are aware of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax And Trade Bureau ("TTB") rules for labels, and the sometimes onerous task involved in getting those labels approved. To avoid extra expenses and delays, those who are not aware...
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Join Us at Brew Talks New England 2016

Verrill Dana's Breweries, Wineries & Distilleries Group is excited to sponsor this year's Brew Talks New England , part of Brewbound's traveling series of meetup events for professionals in the brewing industry, on October 24 at Jack's Abby in Framingham, Massachusetts. The program will offer both educational and networking...
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Firm Highlights

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Verrill Partner Mat Todaro selected to serve on the American Bar Association’s Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources 2022 Fall Conference Planning Committee

Earlier this year, Verrill Partner Mat Todaro was selected by American Bar Association leadership to serve on the 2022 Fall Conference Planning Committee for its Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources. In this role...

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Maine PUC Asked to Fix “Leapfrogging” Problem Triggered by 2022 Changes to Maine’s Generator Interconnection Rule

The Maine Public Utilities Commission is currently considering whether to commence a formal emergency rulemaking process to amend Chapter 324 of its rules governing generator interconnections. The purpose of the rulemaking would be to...

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PFAS Regulatory Update: Dates You Need to Know

Public Comment on the Federal Proposed Drinking Water Standards for Six PFAS Compounds On March 29, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), published in the Federal Register its proposed national drinking water standards...

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Proposes National Drinking Water Standard for Six PFAS Compounds

On March 14, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced a proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR) for six per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). PFAS are a category of manufactured chemicals that...

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Carolyn Gilbert Nominated to Maine PUC

On March 28, Governor Janet Mills nominated Carolyn “Carrie” Gilbert to serve a six-year term on the Maine Public Utilities Commission. For the past 15 years, Gilbert has worked at Daymark Energy Advisors where...

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Maine PUC to Kick Off Review of Grid Plan to Assist Clean Energy Transition

Last month, the Maine Public Utilities Commission initiated a proceeding to identify the priorities to be addressed in an electric grid plan that will assist Maine in the “cost-effective transition to a clean, affordable...

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Crisis emerges in Maine over safe disposal of biosolids from wastewater treatment plants

Maine wastewater treatment plants are currently facing intense challenges concerning disposal of their sewage sludge , also called “biosolids.” This is a fast-moving issue getting significant coverage in the media and substantial attention from...

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Verrill's Jim Cohen To Speak on Past and Future of Maine’s Electric Grid at 2023 Winter Bar Conference

Verrill partner Jim Cohen will be presenting at the Maine State Bar Association’s Winter Bar Conference 2023, on Friday, January 27, in Portland. Cohen’s presentation, The Past and Future of Maine’s Electric Grid...

Publication/Podcast

Maine PUC Clarifies Ability of Level 2 Projects to “Leapfrog” Level 4 Projects in Interconnection Queue

After months of uncertainty over the issue of whether Level 2 renewable energy projects can “leapfrog” Level 4 projects in the queue, the Maine PUC clarified one of the ambiguities. Specifically, in response to...

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Georgetown Broadband LLC Secures Utility Pole Attachment Authorization for Community Broadband Project

On February 17, 2023, Georgetown Broadband LLC (GBLLC) became the latest community broadband entity to receive pole attachment authorization from the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to deploy a fiber broadband network. GBLLC began...

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