Craft Beer Attorney

10/16/2026

We already raised a glass to everyone bringing home hardware from GABF. Today, we want to give a little extra love to the breweries we're especially proud to know.

There's a great deal more behind a medal than something pretty to hang in the brewhouse or a shiny new prop for social media. There are long days, hard decisions, creative risks, and countless hours spent pouring your heart, soul, and definitely a little blood, sweat, and tears into what you do. We get a glimpse of that work firsthand, and we see the dedication behind the accolades. Watching that effort earn the recognition it deserves makes us genuinely proud to celebrate your success.

To our clients bringing home hardware this year: congratulations. You've earned every bit of this moment, and we hope you and your teams are taking the time to savor it.

Join us in celebrating:

Alvarado St. Brewery
Cellarmaker Brewing Co.
Drakes Brewing Company
East Village Brewing Co.
HopSaint Brewing Co.
Ketch Brewing
MachineHead Brewing Co.
Monks Cellar
RIIP B**r Co.
TapRoom B**r Co.
Transmission Brewing Co.

10/15/2026

10/14/2026

If your Type 23 is paired with a restaurant, the rules around purchasing outside b**r and w**e are more particular than they may seem. Make sure you understand what your license allows and what it doesn’t.

Questions about your license and its privileges? Send us an email: [email protected]

Attorney Advertising: For educational purposes only — Does not constitute legal advice.

10/13/2026

AI Can Make a Beautiful Label. That Doesn't Make It a Compliant One.

AI has been positioned as a way for small businesses to reduce overhead, but that perceived convenience can generate some pretty significant compliance issues when you're dealing with something as heavily regulated as b**r, w**e, or spirits.

Federal labeling and advertising regulations still apply whether your artwork was created by a designer, generated by AI, or assembled by a committee of people who have been staring at a screen for six hours.

If you're using AI anywhere in your labelling or marketing process, keep a few things in mind:

Accuracy still matters. AI can take some creative liberties with geography, style, ingredients, or other characteristics of your product. That can mean delays when the label gets kicked back for corrections, or confusion if an AI-generated detail makes it appear
that a product requires a formula approval when it doesn't.

No health claims. If your artwork, video, or other advertising suggests that alcohol has health benefits, you're getting into territory that is regulated by TTB. AI-generated "lifestyle" imagery isn't exempt simply because a computer made it.

Match your label. Any bottle or label depicted in your advertising should be an exact reproduction of the label approved by TTB. If AI has redesigned your bottle, that's something to catch before the ad goes live.

Someone needs to review the final product. Just because the artwork or ad is exactly the vibe you're looking for doesn't mean that it has all of the right compliance pieces in place.

The larger lesson is pretty simple: AI is a tool, not a compliance officer or a marketing director.

And having to correct a label, relabel a product, or pull down advertising after the fact can get expensive.

If you're using AI in your packaging or marketing and want another set of eyes on what you're putting into the world, we review labels, advertising, and the regulatory issues that come with both. Send us an email at [email protected]

Attorney Advertising: For educational purposes only — Does not constitute legal advice.

10/12/2026

The hardware looks good on you!

Congratulations to everyone bringing home medals from GABF this year.

Whether it’s your first medal or another addition to an already impressive collection, the work, creativity, and the sheer determination it takes to get there deserve plenty of recognition, a plethora of high fives, and all of the “atta you’s.”

So wear it proudly, hoist your b**r high, and as always, CBA is happy to be cheering you on. ❤️ 🍻

Attorney Advertising: For educational purposes only - Does not constitute legal advice.

10/08/2026

10/06/2026

The holidays are coming, which means your bar is about to get very busy.

Halloween, Thanksgiving, holiday parties, New Year’s: the season of crowded taprooms, extended shifts, and an impressive volume of alcohol being poured by people who would probably prefer not to spend the next 3 months thinking about compliance.

So, before the festivities begin, check one decidedly unfestive item:

Are your team’s RBS certifications current?

California requires alcohol servers and managers to complete Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) training and maintain valid certification. It is not the most glamorous item on the holiday-prep list, but neither is discovering an expired certification after the fact.

You’ve already started thinking about the kegs, the glassware, the staffing, the reservations, and whether you have enough cold storage for the seasonal releases.

Add RBS certification to the list.

Because “We meant to check that” is rarely improved by the addition of tinsel.

Questions about RBS certification or staff training? Send us an email: [email protected]

Attorney Advertising: For educational purposes only — Does not constitute legal advice.

10/02/2026

Planning to open, expand, or make a move that requires a new ABC license?

Give yourself some breathing room. Current processing times make a 6–9 month lead time a prudent planning window.

If a change that requires a new license or update with ABC is coming for your business, we're here to help you navigate it. Send us an email at [email protected]

Attorney Advertising: For educational purposes only — Does not constitute legal advice.

10/01/2026

Famous last words.

AI can make something that walks and talks like a contract. It can produce polished language, organize provisions, and make an agreement look remarkably complete.

But looking like a contract isn't the same as having the teeth of one.

The problem isn't whether AI can put words on a page. The problem is knowing which words belong there and what happens when those words meet the real world.

A strong contract doesn't just document the deal you're making. It anticipates where that deal could go sideways and builds protections accordingly.

That's where experience matters. Lawyers bring years of seeing how agreements fail, where disputes start, what clients don't think to ask, and which provisions can help protect against problems that haven't happened yet.

AI can draft language. Lawyers give the agreement its teeth.

We write contracts. We review them. We know where to look for the gaps, the weak spots, and the provisions that can make the difference when the unexpected happens.

If your agreement needs more than polished words, let's talk. Send us an email: [email protected]

Attorney Advertising: For educational purposes only — Does not constitute legal advice.

09/30/2026

GABF is coming up, which means a lot of brewery teams will soon be spending a few days outside their usual zip code — at the festival, industry events, brewery visits, dinners, and probably a few places that started as “just one quick b**r, to see who's here.”

A reminder before everyone heads out: workplace harassment laws don’t stop applying when the team crosses state lines.

If employees are traveling for work or attending an industry event together, what happens there can still have workplace consequences. That includes festivals, conferences, collaboration days, networking events, and yes, the after-party.

So before the team packs their bags, take a minute to check when everyone last completed their required sexual harassment prevention training, make sure your policies are current, and give employees a quick refresher on your expectations before they head out.

A reminder about professional conduct, reporting procedures, and who employees can go to with concerns can go a long way, especially when everyone is about to spend several days together in a very different setting.

Because “but we were in Colorado” is not a compliance plan.

Need help getting your workplace policies and training requirements in order? CBA can help.

Attorney Advertising: For educational purposes only — Does not constitute legal advice.