From the Office of M. Caitlin S. Anderson
Liquor Control Division Director
February 20, 2025
Re: Return of Expired Beer
The Department of Consumer Protection Liquor Control Division (hereinafter “Division”) has recently received inquires seeking clarification surrounding the return of expired beer products by a permittee to a wholesaler. The Division reminds beer retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers of three foundational points concerning the return of expired beer products:
- All returns of expired beer product require approval from the Division.
- The Division’s approval will automatically be given if the expired beer product is returned within three months from the date of delivery. The Division will not approve a return of an expired beer product beyond three months from date of delivery unless the retailer can demonstrate an ordinary and usual commercial reason for the return. For example, the Division has approved returns outside of the three-month period when natural disasters closed a retailer for an extended period; we similarly have approved delayed returns when renewed operation of a business required probate proceedings.
- It is the wholesaler’s decision whether to accept returns of expired product within the three months allowed. The wholesaler must exercise this discretion uniformly to all retailers it services. The Division cannot compel a wholesaler to accept a return, even if it would be routinely approved by the Division.
For more information about returns, please review the Division’s Guidance Statement Regarding Product Returns from Retailers to Manufacturers, Shippers, and Wholesalers dated October 6, 2023.
If you have any questions regarding this extension or any liquor-related matter, please email at dcp.liquorcontrol@ct.gov.
The Department of Consumer Protection, through the State Liquor Control Commission, oversees all sales of liquor in the State of Connecticut. 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 901, Hartford, CT, 06103. Visit the Liquor Control Division website www.ct.gov/dcp.
