Retail Beer License

**ScottishPete** · 03-22-2010, 02:23 PM

Scenario:

I'm just an ordinary guy with a kegerator who would like to buy kegs from a beer distributor and consume them with my friends and family in my home. It's too hard to find what kegs are available from local beer retailers, and when I can the list it's usually Coors Light and similar. When looking into the problem, I came across the info for a local distributor: http://greatbrewers.com/tj-sheehan-distributing ... in order to talk to him I need to be a licensed NYS beer retailer ...

In my state ( New York ), here are the different types of license:
http://www.abc.state.ny.us/definition-of-license-classes

One of which is Microbrewery ... I definitely brew beer on the premises, you think this license allow me to buy from a distributor? The fees look to be ~$400 a year ...

Am I crazy? Does anyone have any experience with this? Is there an easier way to buy the kegs I want? I guess I could just put in special orders with a retailer who sells kegs ... anyone know the markup on kegs?

Thanks
Pete

Mischief_Brewing · 03-24-2010, 03:10 PM

Don't know about getting a brewing license primarily to buy kegs from a distributor. I would think the whole business license and tax reporting would be too much of a deterrent.

I would go the route of finding out who they distribute to and go make friends with them. With enough special order purchases, you might be able to qualify for a good-guy discount...

forcera · 03-24-2010, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drat

I would go the route of finding out who they distribute to and go make friends with them. With enough special order purchases, you might be able to qualify for a good-guy discount...

Back in college I worked at a restaurant and we did this for ourselves and a few very good friends (i.e. they knew the majority of the employees, and the majority of us would be at the party). We just added them to the restaurant’s order and paid cash for them. The owners were totaly cool with it too. One of them even suggested that we do it that way as long as we didn’t go overboard. We could get a keg of just about anything we wanted. Now I do live in Alabama and this was before we changed the beer laws so “anything we wanted” was a very limited list.

**olllllo** · 03-24-2010, 06:27 PM

You don't want a license. You'd have to physically separate your homebrewing operation from any commercial taxable sales whether you sell or not.

Literally, this is my living room and it is off limits to commercial beer but open to homebrew.

**olllllo** · 03-24-2010, 06:30 PM

it might even be more Balkanized than that. No one could bring any beer that was not purchased from a distro. Once you are licensed... it's like a bar.

**olllllo** · 03-24-2010, 06:32 PM

Rereading your OP. A microbrewery license varies by state. Some allow you to have a tasting room OF YOUR BREWED BEER. Generally not another breweries beer.

**dataz722** · 03-24-2010, 06:36 PM

Why not just talk to one of the larger liquor stores and see if you can do a special order. I have done special orders through a few liquor stores before and as long as their distributor carries it, it was never a problem.

**Homercidal** · 03-24-2010, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dataz722

Why not just talk to one of the larger liquor stores and see if you can do a special order. I have done special orders through a few liquor stores before and as long as their distributor carries it, it was never a problem.

This was my thought. A lots of times the distributor just carries in what they think will sell, and the store goes along with it. The store might be able to have the distro bring in something special if they know there is a desire for it. Doesn't hurt to ask.

Here in Mich, I have found a few micro breweries who will fill a clean and sanitized corny keg that you bring to them, and at a reasonable cost.

**weirdboy** · 03-24-2010, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olllllo

Rereading your OP. A microbrewery license varies by state. Some allow you to have a tasting room OF YOUR BREWED BEER. Generally not another breweries beer.

In CA with a "Small Beer Manufacturer" license, you can operate a tasting room selling any beer or wine you want.

NoVa · 03-25-2010, 11:26 AM

When I went to school at Syracuse I used to go to the party source on Erie boulevard. They had a pretty good selection of microbrews, filled growlers, but I'm not sure the extent of their kegs. I'm sure it just involves asking what they can get or what they have in stock. I asked them to order more dogfish head 120 min for me when they sold out, so I'm pretty sure they have access to others. Also, the blue tusk in downtown had around 69 beers on tap(last time i checked), so I'm sure they use the same distributor.