Need some help figuring out how to set up homebrew for wedding reception

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ReverseApacheMaster

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I'm pretty sure I'll be getting married next May (we haven't 100% set the date yet) and we're trying to sort out what we want to do so we can figure out all the sorted details. Since we love our beers we want to offer 3-4 of our beers at the reception. Obviously we have the time to get it all brewed but we're not sure how to sort it out with the reception. I know some of you guys served homebrew at receptions, so I'm looking for some answers to questions/advice/experiences.

We don't want to go the bottle route, we want to keg in cornys. We are inexperienced with kegging but we can get the equipment to keg and pressurize. However, should be expect problems with reception halls/rented bartenders serving an unlabeled product? What do we need or what do we need to ask about to make sure they will have the set up to float our kegs? Should we expect to provide the kegerator? Anything else I'm not thinking about?

Thanks for the help!
 
I would definitely plan on providing the kegerator or some other means of chilling (trash cans with ice water) as catering companies aren't set up with the equipment to dispense corny kegs.

I would find an old chest freezer and convert that into a multi-tap kegerator. It would be the easiest to set up, plus it would look cool.

I also can't imagine any legal issues arising from paying someone to dispense for you. It's not like you're charging for the beer, you're just paying someone to pour.

The wedding I made beer for was bottles and a keg. But there was no bartender involved, it was self service.
 
I would certainly not brush off looking into the legality just because it's free...

I don't know the laws of Texas so I can't say if it is or isn't legal but we all know every state has vastly varying laws when it comes to homebrews:
In some states it's illegal to have it outside your house or give too much away etc.
The last thing you want is your wedding reception getting crashed for homebrew

Also I'd make sure to clearly ask/explain the situation to your catering company to make sure they are ok with serving it as well.
 
Talk to whoever you're dealing with for the reception and explain to them what you want to do. They'll be able to tell you if A) it's legal and B) they'll allow it at their facility.
 
Found this on the Texas Legislature Website

I didn't find anything that said you couldn't serve it at your wedding. The only specifics on taking your brew elsewhere pertain to "organized tastings" or "competitions".

SUBCHAPTER B. HOME PRODUCTION OF WINE, ALE, MALT LIQUOR, OR BEER

Sec. 109.21. HOME PRODUCTION OF WINE, ALE, MALT LIQUOR, OR BEER. (a) The head of a family or an unmarried adult may produce for the use of his family or himself not more than 200 gallons of wine, ale, malt liquor, or beer, per year. No license or permit is required.
(b) The commission may prohibit the use of any ingredient it finds detrimental to health or susceptible of use to evade this code. Only wine made from the normal alcoholic fermentation of the juices of dandelions or grapes, raisins, or other fruits may be produced under this section. Only ale, malt liquor, or beer made from the normal alcoholic fermentation of malted barley with hops, or their products, and with or without other malted or unmalted cereals, may be produced under this section. The possession of wine, ale, malt liquor, or beer produced under this section is not an offense if the person making it complies with all provisions of this section and the wine, ale, malt liquor, or beer is not distilled, fortified, or otherwise altered to increase its alcohol content.
(c) There is no annual state fee for beverages produced in compliance with this section.

Acts 1977, 65th Leg., p. 524, ch. 194, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1977. Amended by Acts 1979, 66th Leg., p. 863, ch. 387, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 27, 1979; Acts 1983, 68th Leg., p. 1351, ch. 278, Sec. 50, eff. Sept. 1, 1983; Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 310, Sec. 1, eff. June 14, 1989.


Sec. 109.22. DELIVERY OF HOME-PRODUCED WINE, ALE, MALT LIQUOR, OR BEER FOR CERTAIN PURPOSES. (a) This section applies only to a person who is authorized under Section 109.21(a) to produce wine, ale, malt liquor, or beer.
(b) For the purpose of participating in an organized tasting, evaluation, competition, or literary review, a person to whom this section applies may deliver wine, ale, malt liquor, or beer produced and manufactured by the person to locations that are not licensed under this code for the purpose of submitting those products to an evaluation at an organized tasting competition that is closed to the general public or by a reviewer whose reviews are published if:
(1) no charge of any kind is made for the wine, ale, malt liquor, or beer, for its delivery, or for attendance at the event; and
(2) the commission consents in writing to the delivery.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize an increase in the quantity of wine, ale, malt liquor, or beer authorized to be produced by a person under the authority of Section 109.21(a) of this code.
Click to expand...
 
109.21(a) states that you can brew for yourself for self/family use.

109.22 only applies to people brewing under 109.21. If you're brewing for people outside your family, it would appear that you probably are technically violating 109.21.

Second, 109.22(b) appears to apply to places that are not licensed by TABC and for only to certain events. Based on how I read the statute, I don't think either of the sections you listed really cover this situation.

Bottom line, if the place where the reception has a liquor license, you are most likely going to need to clear some red tape some serve your own brew. Knowing Texas and it's backassward alcohol laws, you would probably be prohibited to serve your own beer. Think of it this way, if a bar has a liquor license, you can't BYOB. Same situation here. If the place the reception is at doesn't have a liquor license, you might be able to get away with it.

Again, talk to whoever you're dealing with at your reception location.
 
All legality issues aside, if it is legal to do so, and if you get it squared with the hall or wherever, This is what you have to consider doing...

7005d1258754129-biermunchers-rolling-kegerator-byo-published-rolling_kegger9999.jpg


BierMunchers Rolling Kegerator (BYO Published)
 
I agree that the first thing to do is ask the reception hall/caterers if they will allow outside alcohol.

If they do, go the trashcan route. You definitely don't want to worry about hauling a keezer around.
 
Thanks for all the thoughts. I should have been thinking about the legal issues, but I figured if it wasn't practical it wouldn't matter. I'll have to see how much all that will wreck current plans...
 
As far as serving goes, Revvy's picture is a great idea. There is an issue of BYO a while back that tells you how to build that exact same setup.

For my buddy's wedding a couple of years ago I let him borrow my jockey box. Granted it wasn't home brew, but it worked just fine for his keg of Bud Light....
If you're not familiar with one, it is just a cooler with about 50 feet of stainless steel or aluminum tubing inside of an ice bath. Cools the beer as fast as you can pour it without having to chill the kegs as well, and includes 1 or 2 taps (depending on how you make it or buy it). Example:
image_894.jpg
 

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