Boston Beer Fined Nearly $1 Million In New York

The Boston Beer Company, maker of Sam Adams beers and other products such as Twisted Tea, has agreed to pay almost $1 million in fines to New York State for failing to properly register some of its brands.

Here’s the deal…

The NY State Liquor Authority (SLA) has fined American Craft Brewery LLC a subsidiary of Boston Beer, $975,000 after an investigation found it had” sold 1.4 million cases of beer, hard cider and malt beverages in New York without the proper registration,” according to New York Upstate.

Products sold without the required label registration included Samuel Adams brand beers, Angry Orchard ciders and Twisted Tea malt beverages and their unauthorized sale in New York State was valued at $24 million by the SLA.

The New York State requires brand label registration to ensure that they meet state and federal labeling laws, and to allow products to be traced in case of recall for health or safety reasons.

An investigation which launched by the SLA in early 2018, found that Boston Beer had not registered all their products leading to the fine against American Craft Brewery, which is reportedly “the largest ever against a brewer in New York.”