I recent brewed 600 beers (12 types) for my sons wedding. One of his friends ask if I could brew for his wedding. I did so for a nominal fee and everything went great. At this wedding a couple more friends ask me to do the same. Can I keep doing this without getting an ABC license to brew?
Brewing for Weddings
- Thread starter crharner
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Definitely not if you are being compensated in any way shape or form, and probably not even if you aren't. The specifics will depend on your state's laws.
Sorry dude. Selling homebrew is verboten.
Sorry dude. Selling homebrew is verboten.
No.
I am not a lawyer, this post does not constitute legal advice. Always check local laws and a lawyer specializing in alcohol case law. If you get arrested it's your fault
Unless I misunderstood your post: You do not have a license to manufacture and sell alcohol. You manufactured beer and sold the alcohol.
This is bad news at the Federal and state levels that results in huge fines along with jail time.
You can ,depending on local laws, however 'brew jointly' where all interested parties(you and the lucky couple) purchase grain, hops, yeast, and then you do the brewing with a little input from them(such as hop additions, or milling the grain). Once the beer is fermented you each take your share and do with it what you will. The size of each share doesn't have to be equal. You could take a 6er of 100 gallons.
I am not a lawyer, this post does not constitute legal advice. Always check local laws and a lawyer specializing in alcohol case law. If you get arrested it's your fault
Unless I misunderstood your post: You do not have a license to manufacture and sell alcohol. You manufactured beer and sold the alcohol.
This is bad news at the Federal and state levels that results in huge fines along with jail time.
You can ,depending on local laws, however 'brew jointly' where all interested parties(you and the lucky couple) purchase grain, hops, yeast, and then you do the brewing with a little input from them(such as hop additions, or milling the grain). Once the beer is fermented you each take your share and do with it what you will. The size of each share doesn't have to be equal. You could take a 6er of 100 gallons.
midfielder5
Well-Known Member
Short answer- no. Longer answer- You cannot legally barter or sell homebrew. The homebrew laws are carved out as a limited exception (for personal consumption in your *home*) to the laws prohibiting alchohol production without all the licenses, fees, taxes (!) etc.
You also are limited to brewing 200 gallons per year/ household, or 100 if you live alone.
Oregon even recently had it illegal to send in competiton entries or transport HB to a friend's house.
I am a lawyer and I just gave you free advice. You're welcome
You also are limited to brewing 200 gallons per year/ household, or 100 if you live alone.
Oregon even recently had it illegal to send in competiton entries or transport HB to a friend's house.
I am a lawyer and I just gave you free advice. You're welcome
ForrestWoods
Well-Known Member
crharner said:
You could have them "buy the ingredients" and brew it for them
In many states, this is also illegal. There are no loopholes. Thinking you can out-crafty the legislation is a very risky mindset.
GrogNerd
mean old man
no.
1,000 other threads in HBT about this same thing. there is no way around it; you can NOT sell your homebrew and the Revenuers will bust you no matter how you try and get around it.
listen to the lawyer above
I wonder what the laws are here in Canada regarding homebrew.. never heard of any.
Apparently U.S. officials are being picky about homebrew... That being said better be safe than sorry, especially since there could be some jail time (wtf??? it's only beer!)
a wedding or two should be ok, but if you start distributing HB all over your area... I don't know.
Cheers!
Apparently U.S. officials are being picky about homebrew... That being said better be safe than sorry, especially since there could be some jail time (wtf??? it's only beer!)
a wedding or two should be ok, but if you start distributing HB all over your area... I don't know.
Cheers!
The easiest way around this is to just have those people pitch the yeast. It has been commonly accepted that the "brewer" is whoever pitches the yeast. I have auctioned off brewing lessons before where I do all the brewing/clean up but the recipient pitches the yeast thus it is their beer.
NeighborsBrewingCo
Well-Known Member
Phunhog said:
Zing. I like it.
Maybe. In some states, the "home"brew must be brewed in your own home, and in some states it is illegal to even give it away or take it out of the home.
In some states, you can't even legally take your own homebrew to your own campsite.
In all states, it's illegal to sell/barter/"pay for ingredients"/etc.
In some states, you can give away limited amounts of homebrew per year.
In Michigan, it used to be that you could give away one sixpack per year of homebrew to an individual. They recently changed that, and you can give away 20 gallons per year, total, of homebrew. So I couldn't even legally give 30 gallons away, let alone sell it.
Please check YOUR local laws and remember that trying to circumvent the law with silly things like "have them pay for ingredients" as advice is not going to work. Judges are smarter than that.
Ostomo517
Well-Known Member
The simplest way to look at it is, you are doing this without the goverment getting thier cut of taxes and we all know Uncle Sam takes that pretty seriously.
Very true. You should know your states homebrew laws.....even though no one enforces them since the vast majority are unenforceable. Actually I have never seen it in writing where the person who pitches the yeast is the brewer of record. It is just something has been passed on from brewer to brewer.
Similar threads
