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**ChshreCat** · 08-04-2010, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjones17

Am I wrong to say I think David was talking about including the equipment.... 100K seems about right to me?

No offense intended - but I think it would be pointless to 'start a brewery', regardless of how suprisingly cheap it is, if you do not have any equipment.

Kind of like saving your money for a tank of gas without a car.
It *is* very interesting to hear you attest to the permits and such being inexpensive, that is promising indeed. Washinton is pretty progressive that way.

No offense taken. We can disagree. I don't think it would take six figures to buy enough equipment to provide some beer for one restaurant.

Priemus · 08-04-2010, 10:15 PM

In Norway there is some strange loophole type law where the person who makes the beer cant sell it, but he can give it to a restaurant with a alcohol license that "can" sell it.

Kinda makes it pointless to just give it all away, but perhaps there is a strange loop hole type thing you can work in the states as well so long as your not talking about going hardcore brew pub.

g-nome · 08-04-2010, 10:30 PM

If you have a location (his restaurant), getting proper zoning, city, state, and fed paperwork would be a pain, but not horribly expensive (it would, however, be time consuming). If there is a minimum BBL size requirement of your brewery (hard to believe that they would require you to be bigger than feasible) the equipment would be expensive, but otherwise, it is just a time issue. Go for it. I would in a heartbeat given those circumstances. Worst case, you fail, and get to take home some pro equipment.

Nikkimaija · 08-05-2010, 04:03 PM

My understanding is that MT does not permit brewpubs per se, and also does not allow direct distribution. Montana breweries can sell directly to their customer in a tap room until 8pm and can only sell 48 oz. Otherwise they have to sell to a distributor. In other words, your "mini-brewery" and your friend's restaurant would have to be separate entities, and if you want to serve after 8pm and not limit patrons drinks, I think you might have to sell to a distributor who will sell to your friend, who has to maintain his own liquor license. However there are several great breweries in MT who have managed legal workarounds of some type - Flathead Lake Brewing Company in Bigfork area also serves food (but only until 8pm), & Tamarack in Lakeside and Great Northern in Whitefish have separated into 2 businesses and offer menus, later hours, and other drinks besides their own beers.
Montana has a brewer's association, which if you are thinking of doing this, you should probably join. I'm sure they can help clarify all of the regulations.