Nutrition and ingredient disclosures highlight the real differences between beer, wine, and liquor, writes the president and CEO of the Beer Institute. Brian Crawford President and CEO, Beer Institute This article originally appeared in Food Dive on April 10, 2024. For beer lovers, anticipation brews as April approaches — a sign of warmer weather, sizzling cookouts, and baseball’s opening day with fans cheering on their favorite teams while enjoying a cold one. The beer industry stands head-and-shoulders above the other sectors of the alcohol industry in offering nutritional transparency to co ..read more

by Bill Young, Senior Director, Health Policy and Regulatory Affairs Every year, people worldwide celebrate April’s arrival with lighthearted humor and practical jokes. While many cherish the tradition of pranks and jokes that have come to define April Fools’ Day, in the beer industry, April is no laughing matter. April is Alcohol Awareness Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) and working to ensure beer lovers responsibly enjoy their favorite ice-cold beverage. The Beer Institute and its members take the opportunity April presents to refl ..read more

by Bill Young, Senior Director, Health Policy and Regulatory Affairs It’s a new year; it’s a new you. As we kick off 2024, people are busy making resolutions, setting goals, and looking to improve their physical, mental, and financial well-being. One part of this self-assessment for many is reexamining their relationship with alcohol to ensure they are drinking in moderation. While January gets a lot of attention, those who consume alcohol beverages should evaluate their consumption year-round. The alcohol industry consistently advocates for everyone to drink in moderation, which the United St ..read more

A Toast to Tradition: The History of Oktoberfest Every autumn, nearly six million international and German beer lovers descend on Munich, Germany, for Oktoberfest – a Bavarian beer bonanza that has captivated the world. But have you ever wondered about its origin or why, despite its name, Oktoberfest mostly takes place in September? The seeds of Oktoberfest were sown on October 12, 1810 with the royal wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese. To celebrate, a horse race was organized in a meadow outside Munich. This meadow was named Theresienwiese – after the princess – and it contin ..read more

by Annie Starke Lange, Senior Director of Federal Affairs Congress kicked off its 118th session in January of this year, with Republicans in control of the House of Representatives and Democrats holding onto the Senate, both by razor-thin margins. Once House Republicans chose Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20) to serve as Speaker of the House after a rocky electoral process, Congress began to delve into its substantive agenda for the year. Over the last few months, both chambers have worked on the debt ceiling and appropriations.  President Joe Biden signed a two-year debt limit extension in J ..read more

by Bill Young, Senior Director of Health Policy & Regulatory Affairs For over one hundred and sixty years, the Beer Institute, the oldest trade association representing the beer industry, has maintained the same message: beer and liquor are not the same and should be treated differently. Recent conversations by public health advocates have renewed interest in what amount of alcohol is safe to consume, and the beer industry is once again having to illustrate to the public and lawmakers that beer is unique from vodka, whiskey, gin, rum or tequila. The average alcohol content of a beer is les ..read more

A leading beer industry publication recently ran this statement about efforts in states to pass special tax hand-outs to the liquor lobby that would hurt local beer economies: “Arguments for reducing taxes on RTD spirits are clearly not a winner in state legislatures in 2022.” Beer Marketer’s Insights looked at legislative debates in a handful of states and concluded: “distilled spirits going 0-fer so far this spring.” Pro-liquor tax carveout bills failed big this year in seven states: Alabama, Arizona, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maryland, Washington, and West Virginia. (Insights Express noted this abo ..read more

Several years ago, Miller Brewing Company said, “Alcohol is not for everyone, every time or every place.” The opinion was well stated then and it is still useful today as we wrap up another Alcohol Awareness month and head into a season filled with drinking occasions. Awareness of the causes and treatment methods for alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the intended purpose of Alcohol Awareness Month. Recognized every April and first introduced by the National Council for Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) in 1987, the Beer Institute applauds the nation’s prevention, intervention, treatment, and ..read more

Brian Crawford President and CEO, Beer Institute This article originally appeared on Bloomberg Tax on March 6, 2023. One significant policy issue left out of President Joe Biden’s agenda for the next two years is the repeal of the aluminum tariffs in Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. Unfortunately for US consumers and manufacturers—and particularly for American brewers and beer importers—these tariffs burden domestic manufacturers and consumers with unnecessary costs. For beer lovers, those tariffs drive the cost of production and ultimately translate into higher pric ..read more

The Super Bowl is one of the most popular beer holidays of the year. It is perfectly timed, during that mid-winter lull, offering a fun break to the typical Sunday evening routines. We gather with friends and family, enjoy snacks and a favorite beer, and watch one of America’s most iconic games. Super Bowl Sunday is a big day for beer, and this year should be no different, with drinkers claiming beer as the best beverage to drink while watching football. In a recent Morning Consult survey conducted on behalf of the Beer Institute, nearly three-fourths of U.S. adults (age 21+) said they ar ..read more