Mass. beer distributor expected to get 90-day license suspension
The state Alcohol Beverages Control Commission is expected to suspend an Everett-based beer distributor’s license for an unprecedented 90 days for engaging in what’s called “pay-to-play’’ practices, reports The Boston Globe.
Craft Brewers Guild admitted at a September hearing that it had paid $1,000 to $2,000 annually to guarantee they would pour beer sold by the distributor, reports the Globe.
Craft Brewers Guild spent “approximately $120,000 to pay kickbacks to 12 retail licensees throughout the Boston area, and went to great lengths to hide its knowingly unlawful conduct,’’ the commission wrote in a written ruling.
“We are disappointed in the decision that was handed down by the ABCC,’’ wrote a spokesman for Craft Brewers Guild, according to the Globe. “We are currently evaluating all our available options.’’
The ABCC has charged the following five bars for accepting payments from the distributor: Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill, Estelle’s (which is now closed), Gather, Game On Fenway, and Coogan’s, reports the Globe.
Read the full story in the Globe.
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