The beer industry strongly opposes the inclusion of a serving size on the labels, as it would likely show that a shot of hard liquor has the same amount of alcohol as a bottle of brew. The beer industry says it's unreasonable to expect that anyone will consume only one shot of liquor at a time. The inclusion of a serving size could bolster the liquor industry's case that it's unfair for their products to be taxed at a higher rate by the government.

Wine Designations

Another hot-button issue at TTB is the geographic labeling used by America's winemakers. Under a regulatory system created in the late 1970s, wine producers petition the TTB for federally-recognized American Viticultural Areas, or AVAs, to differentiate their products from competitors. Those petitions for AVAs, which are almost always granted, create geographic wine categories as broad as "Ohio River Valley" (a label inclusive of four states) and as specific as Monticello. The regulations stipulate that 85 percent of a wine's grapes must come from a particular region in order to qualify for an AVA designation.

Manfreda and the TTB are considering a new set of AVA rules that would reduce the number of recognized AVAs and toughen the petition process. "I want to get away from random geographic designations. We want more clarity, to be more specific, not less," Manfreda said.

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