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dosbrohahs · 01-04-2010, 02:42 AM

Working on a new business venture with a couple of other brewers in Seattle to do beer catering. Basically we offer 4 different styles and sell them by the keg to private and corporate parties. What do you think of the idea?

**Airborneguy** · 01-04-2010, 04:34 AM

Legalities?

**Yuri_Rage** · 01-04-2010, 04:37 AM

It's a fantastic idea. How does the licensing work?

BrianTheBrewer · 01-04-2010, 04:48 AM

I love the idea...

dosbrohahs · 01-04-2010, 04:54 AM

The legal issues are pretty much the same as operating a brewhaus/brewpub except for the catering aspects. We are currently working with the TTB and the State of Washington to work out event based liquor licensing.

At this point I am concerned about the amounts of beer to produce during the year and when to do them. We have several "reservations" for Christmas parties this year which works out good since our licensing is in process. Planning production for 2011 is going to be interesting.

weirdboy · 01-04-2010, 04:56 AM

What is your differentiator vs buying a keg of commercial craft brew?

I mean, if I were a company event coordinator, what would make me choose your service vs going to a party supply place and getting a keg, or if they are already renting a facility for an event, using the facility's existing contracts/relationships for supplying the booze?

**Jaybird** · 01-04-2010, 06:04 AM

It’s a great idea!! I looked into this in CA and for us here in CA you can't do it. I wanted to start a business where I would brew the beer and my SWMBO would serve it at weddings and such and we would serve it. People would book us in advance and either brew the beer themselves to be served at the wedding or we would brew it and directly serve it to the clients party guests. ABC and ATTB went round and round w/ us and in the end it was a no go, because of the 3 tier laws that are set up here in CA. I could brew it. I could sell it to the owners of the party If I had a licensed facility and the license to do so, but I couldn't directly serve it to them or the public. Without all my docs that are at the store right now, I think I needed a type 23 to brew it and sell it on the open market. Basically a brewer’s license. But you can't here in CA serve your beer to the public without going through a 3rd party distributer, unless it is at your licensed facility. Tap room,etc...
Just make sure ATTB is fully aware of what you want to do. They like to say no to just about everything they don't understand. But we have to remember the laws were written during prohibition and everybody that wrote them is dead, as the laws should be!
Good luck
let me know how this turns out. I spent hours on the phone with them. Great people really, but they just don't get it IMHO
Cheers
Jay

dosbrohahs · 01-17-2010, 05:11 AM

Update:

In case anyone wants to know. According to the TTB and ABC of Washington State, you cannot cater beer without a catering endorsement. In order to get that, you have to have a restaurant which has said endorsement. In order to do beer catering, you need a microbrewery with a restaurant that has a catering endorsement. Glad we got that cleaned up.

david_42 · 01-17-2010, 01:47 PM

Sounds about the same as Oregon. The distributors have a complete lock on the system.

redbone · 10-31-2010, 10:44 PM

Easy solution...

Get a catering/beer license, have at least 1 keg of Natural Light on tap (this is what you are selling), and then give your craft brew away for "free".