As states continue to introduce and pass legislation to loosen their liquor laws, it's hard for beverage alcohol brands to keep tabs on all the changes with U.S. alcohol policies. To make it easier, Overproof compiled each state's latest and most significant changes that beverage alcohol suppliers should know.
While the pandemic caused its fair share of restrictions that affected on-premise sales, the beverage alcohol and hospitality industries received some relief when nearly all states temporarily allowed the sale of alcoholic beverages for off-premise consumption, in accordance to U.S. alcohol policies.
As alcohol sales are among the most profitable for bars and restaurants, these sales proved to be a vital lifeline to the hospitality industry, which led states to extend and expand these special permissions. Some allowed delivery, many required food to be sold with the alcoholic beverage, and others only permitted beer and wine to be sold in their original sealed packaging. Additionally, some states have taken it a step further by allowing distilleries to ship directly to consumers in and out of state.
In some ways, last year served as a trial period for any skeptics who were wary of on-premise venues selling alcohol for off-premise consumption. To date, it has proven successful, with more than 30 states signing bi-partisan bills into law that makes cocktails to-go permanent. Download Overproof's guide below, which gives a general breakdown of each state's guidelines as of May 2021, with links to the official bills and where you can find the most up-to-date information.
For any questions not answered in our guide, feel free to shoot us an email at [email protected].
