One of the hottest trends in the beverage alcohol industry is direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping. But state laws largely restrict DtC shipping only to winemakers, leaving most brewers out in the cold and unable to meet the increasing interest among consumers for DtC shipping options. But why not beer?
In this panel presentation, Sam DeWitt, Brewers Association (BA) state government affairs manager, Steve Gross, Wine Institute vice president of state relations, and Alex Koral, Sovos ShipCompliant regulatory general counsel, break down the current consumer interest for DtC shipping of beer, discuss the historic and ongoing work that the wine industry has taken to build a nearly national availability for DtC shipping, and how brewers can work together to realize the opportunities that legal DtC beer shipping can bring.
Related Resources
- 2024 BA/Sovos DtC Beer Shipping Report: This report offers an in-depth analysis of a consumer poll and an economist’s review of the direct-to-consumer (DtC) beer shipping market.
- Legal Q&A on Shipping Beer Direct-to-Consumer and A Legal Primer on Direct-to-Consumer Beer Sales: In these Legal Insights posts, BA General Counsel Marc Sorini provides answers to frequently asked questions about DtC shipping and looks at how the law shapes the various models and approaches to DtC sales.
- Interstate Direct-to-Consumer Shipping Laws: This map shows the states where DtC is permitted, limited, and not permitted.
- State Laws Database: The BA has compiled a database of U.S. laws impacting craft brewers. Filter by law to find out more about the states that currently allow DtC.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the scope of consumer demand for craft beer shipped DtC
- Learn how DtC shipping laws are structured and enforced by states
- Know the questions to ask a third party DtC service to help vet its compliance and legality
- Learn how the wine industry was successful in propagating DtC shipping laws across the country
- Discover how brewers can work together and with consumers to gain equal opportunities to wineries
About the Speakers
Sam DeWitt, State Government Affairs
Brewers Association
Sam DeWitt works state government affairs for the Brewers Association (BA), and has lobbied craft beer bills from the east coast to Hawaii, on a wide range of topics from franchise reform and excise tax to self-distribution and direct-to-consumer shipping of beer. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Montana, and has worked on all sides of that profession, from news anchor to political reporter to Top 40 DJ to producer to editor to content producer. He's worked several stints as a bartender, mixologist, and beertender, and fell in love with craft brewing as an undergrad in Missoula, Montana, so much so that his senior documentary project was on the history of brewing in the state of Montana.
Prior to joining the BA, he worked as the chief of staff for a state lawmaker in Colorado, the director of communications for a medical trade association, and then lobbied in six southwestern states on important medical issues he holds close to his heart. He lives in a fortified compound in East Denver with his wife and three kids.
Steve Gross, Vice President, State Relations
Wine Institute
Steve Gross is the vice president of state relations at Wine Institute, where he has been employed since 1986. Steve's duties entail overseeing the activities of Wine Institute's six state relations regional counsels and directors as they address state legislation affecting the wine industry, as well as coordinating Wine Institute's legislative and regulatory activities with staff, contract lobbyists, and member wineries. Steve regularly participates in national programs dealing with issues facing the wine industry, both on the legislative and regulatory levels. Steve serves on the Sonoma State University Wine Business Institute's executive board. He also serves on the board of the California Council for Environmental and Economic Balance (CCEEB). A native of Nebraska, Steve brought to Wine Institute knowledge garnered during his ten years of employment in the on-sale food and beverage industry, as well as extensive experience in political campaigns and legislative activism.
Alex Koral, Regulatory General Counsel
Sovos ShipCompliant
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Alex Koral (he/him) is Regulatory General Counsel for Sovos ShipCompliant, where he serves as the lead legal researcher for beverage alcohol regulation and has become a leading expert in direct-to-consumer (DtC) shipping laws and interstate distribution of alcohol. He has spoken on the topic at industry events including the Craft Brewers Conference®, Craft Beer Professionals conferences, as well as meetings for the National Council of State Liquor Administrators and the National Liquor Law Enforcement Association. Alex has been in the beverage alcohol arena since 2015, after receiving his J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School.
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