MBG Member Resource Center
Non-Discrimination, Bias + Anti-Harassment
Hop Forward Equality
Hop Forward Equality was born out of the need for a home base and resource center with actionable, tangible steps that our brewing community can take to begin, or further, its diversity, inclusion and equity work.
Creating a more equitable Workplace
Here are three concrete steps that a craft brewer can take right now to protect workers, protect the business, and create a more welcoming and equitable brewery for all.
Brewers Association:
Diversity Best practices
This five part series is designed to help a business with everything from starting the conversation about why diversity matters and what it means to them, to setting up a framework to assess the success of a diversity and inclusion program.
LGBTQ Reference Guide
Allyship is a lifelong process that involves building relationships anchored in trust, accountability and consistency in interactions with marginalized groups. People are only allies when the group(s) they seek to be an ally for begin recognizing them as such.
365 Days of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion + Belonging
A complete listing of important dates to celebrate equity, diversity, and inclusion around the world.
MAss Commission against discrimination
We provide discrimination prevention trainings ranging from two hours to four days in length, depending on the topics covered. All training programs are highly interactive and engaging, including case studies and role plays.
US Equal Opportunity Commission
Preventing employment discrimination from occurring in the workplace in the first place is preferable to remedying the consequences of discrimination. EEOC is committed to providing training and technical assistance, outreach and education programs to assist employers, employees and stakeholder groups understand and prevent discrimination.
New England ADA Center
The New England ADA Center provides Information, guidance, and training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and compliance for businesses.
ADA Compliant Websites
There are several steps you can and should take to make your website more accessible.
Safety
OSHA Small Business Safety Handbook
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) developed this handbook to provide small business employers with workplace safety and health information. The handbook summarizes the benefits of an effective safety and health program, provides self-inspection checklists for employers to identify workplace hazards, and reviews key workplace safety and health resources for small businesses.
TIPs Safeserve Training
Many local cities and municipalities have made responsible beverage server training mandatory. In addition, many Massachusetts Insurance companies have made certification mandatory for the bars to purchase liquor liability insurance.
FSMA Compliance
FSMA includes alcoholic beverages in its definition of foods and thus for the first time brings breweries, wineries, cider producers and distilleries under direct FDA regulation without affecting TTB authority.
Brewers Association: Safety Training
The Brewers Association's free online Brewery Safety Training addresses the need for occupational safety and health (OSH) instruction in the craft brewing industry. The training focuses on the specific tasks that are performed in a brewery. This task based approach has the potential to allow employees to understand how to apply the principles of each specific OSH issue and to enhance their ability to recognize the hazards in their job tasks.
Crowd Manager Training
Every facility must have one crowd manager for every 250 occupants when the facility is open. Read Requirements for Crowd Managers for an overview of the law, the training program, and the requirements for crowd managers.
Eye emergencies in a brewery: What do we do?
The production house of a brewery can be a dangerous place and without proper protection, and a brewer's eyes are often the most vulnerable if exposed to cleaning chemicals or boiling water.
Join Dr. Nandini Venkateswaran, cornea cataract and refractive surgeon, at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, as she leads a discussion on eye safety - from important prevention techniques and what to do when an eye injury occurs.
HR + Employment Law
The Employee Lifecycle
Practical tips for hiring and separation. A recorded webinar by employee lawyer, Bob Young, partner at Bowditch.
HR for the Massachusetts Brewer
Most employment and benefits laws apply once a company meets a minimum headcount. Get a handle on these risks and help you plan for the future.
Wage & Hour Division
The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is committed to providing employers with the tools they need to operate in compliance with the variety of labor laws enforced by the Division.
Creating A Respectful Workplace: Part One
From harassment prevention to leave management - join us to ensure that your brewery is legally compliant on all employee law matters.
Join Joshua Nadreau and Deepa Desai of MBG Associate Member Fisher Phillips for a two-part session on how to identify, rectify, and avoid harassment and discrimination in Massachusetts.
A review of what the law requires, the types of behaviors brewers should be on the lookout for, and practical solutions for resolving difficult situations without the need for costly litigation.
Creating A Respectful Workplace: Part Two
Part two covers best practices for handling sensitive investigations and how proactive decision-making can make your brewery a desired place to work and protect your business.
Hiring Diverse Candidates
Bob Young, partner at Bowditch, gives an overview of tips and tricks that your brewery can take when seeking diverse candidates. This segment was a part of the MBG's Techincal Tuesday sessions.
Handbook Essentials: Must-Have Policies for Every Brewery
Employee handbooks are a powerful tool for any employer. Handbooks help an organization maintain compliance, reduce risk and exposure, and build robust company culture. Employers in the brewery business should have policies that are relevant in their work environment. MP’s HR compliance expert, Sharon Hui, SHRM-CP, outlines what you need to know to develop and implement an optimal and compliant employee handbook.
Labels + Licensing
Alcohol, Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau
Wondering how to get started in the brewing Industry? Visit our industry startup guide: Getting Started in a TTB-Regulated Industry. Have a permit to operate in the beer industry and looking for next steps? See our industry compliance guide: Maintaining Compliance in a TTB-Regulated Business.
Bernstein Shur’s Tune Kit
Just as a restaurant that serves alcohol must obtain a liquor license, any business or venue that publicly plays music is considered to be a “music user” and must obtain a music license. A “music user” includes any person, business, or other entity that publicly performs music, whether through live performances or over a sound system.
Product Integrity + draught Quality
List of Brewing Schools
The Brewers Association has an interest in developing appropriately educated potential employees for the craft brewing industry. The listings below represent varying levels of certificates, degrees and learning outcomes.
Draught Quality Manual
Detailed information about line cleaning, draught system components and design, gas dispense and balance, proper pouring, sanitation and growlers is organized with your needs in mind.
Prepare for Cicerone Exams of All Levels
Cicerone® Certification Program has become the industry standard for identifying those with significant knowledge and professional skills in beer sales and service. The Cicerone Certification Program offers independent assessment and certification so that industry professionals—as well as consumers—can be sure of the knowledge and skills possessed by current and prospective beer servers.
QA/QC for small breweries
Learn from yeast guru Julia Wrin Piper COO of Aeronaut Brewing Co. as she covers QA + QC for small breweries.
Smart Use of CO2 and N2 in your brewery:
Industry experts, Christie and Joel Mahaffey from Foundation Brewing Company and Jason Perkins from Allagash Brewing Co. share best practices for using nitrogen in your brewery operations to replace some of your CO2 usage.
Brewery Finance + Business Resources
BEER EXCISE, SALEs + MEALS TAX 101
This summary should provide enough guidance to help you get up and running and stay compliant on some of the most fundamental transactions that breweries encounte
So you want to brew seltzers?
Over the past several years hard seltzers have become one of the fastest growing and most popular types of alcoholic beverages available. Due to this increased demand, many breweries have explored beginning to produce seltzers in addition to their core beers. Before jumping into producing hard seltzers, breweries should be aware of a number of regulatory requirements.
Bring Financial Well-Being To Work
PlanWell™ is a financial education curriculum designed to help human resources departments bring financial well-being to their workplace. It provides a one-on-one, personalized employee financial experience through customized workshops, classes, webinars, and professional guidance.
Sustainability + Waste Reduction
Eco-conscious Packaging Webinar
Plastic packaging increasingly faces scrutiny for its negative environmental and human health impacts, and is the focus of more than a dozen bills under consideration in the Massachusetts legislature that are aimed at banning, reducing, or better recycling plastic.
During this webinar, you'll learn how two local breweries are effectively reducing, reusing, and properly recycling their plastic packaging waste while saving money and building brand affinity with green consumers.
Featured speakers include Pete Weafer, brewery operations manager at Untold Brewing in Scituate, and Dani Babineau, co-founder of Redemption Rock Brewing in Worcester.
The Green Brewery Project at UMass Boston has created a resource for breweries that highlights examples of best practices in a variety of operations within the craft beverage industry. Identified through research by sustainability professionals who conducted more than 30 brewery site visits, these ideas often increase efficiency, decrease waste, improve safety, save money, and are widely adoptable. The Green Brewery Project at UMass Boston is also part of a regional collaboration known as BetterBev, an assessment program that offers Green Craft Beverage Recognition. If your business is interested in participating in the BetterBev Recognition program contact Rob Vandenabeele at EcoFriendlyBeerDrinker@gmail.com