First let’s get this out of the way. I am in no way calling you a dummy for not knowing or understanding the Tax and Trade Bureau’s (TTB) complex and sometimes asinine standard by which they hold labeling of alcohol to. It’s pretty intense and the documentation on their website can be either hard to understand or extremely vague when you do find something. Additionally, good luck on getting anyone over there on the phone to try to answer your questions. Government, am I right? What I’m saying is that if I can learn this stuff then I am assuming any of you can as well.

The TTB are the federal regulating body that handles practically everything an alcohol producer does. They issue brewer’s notices, collect taxes and approve label designs. Yes, this tiny branch of the Treasury Department can have a profound say over what is one your beer label.

Now you might be saying right now, “But Mike, I only distribute within my brewery’s home state and the TTB says that I don’t have to get approval on labels for that.” You are correct with that statement but you are still required to follow and adhere to all of the the TTB’s guidelines and rules relating to labeling your beer.

It should also be noted that all of this applies to both kegged and packaged beer. Keg collars do not get a pass on labeling requirements. So just because you are draft only doesn’t mean that you should be skipping this lesson.

With the recent uptick in breweries illegally using other people’s intellectual property and a brewery friend asking me for some information on labeling over the weekend it got me thinking about other common mistakes I see in labeling by breweries. Now I am writing to provide you with some information on what is acceptable and what is not when it comes to beer labeling.

This will be the part where I say that I am not an attorney and what I say is not to be considered legal advice. This is just industry advice from my 5 years of dealing with the TTB and the whole COLA (Certificate of Label Approval) process. Continue reading…