Home Brewing Sales Question

Hi All -- I was chatting with a couple friends that also brew and I couldn't quite explain why specifically home brewers can't legally sell their beer. I know there's something with taxes but I'm sure there's more to it beyond that. Does someone know where it's explained fully?

Thanks!

Taxes is the big part, the other is commercial production of food or beverage, (you'd need to be USDA Inspected). It's a pain in the ass, but you sure could license to produce beer and wine for sale. Check the BATF web page, I'm guessing they have info there.

Basically because it's not licenced and inspected.

Taxes and the three tier distribution system are part of the issue. Additionally there are federal, state, and local laws in regards to food handling and preparation. As far as a specific federal law, you aren't going to find one. Each state has it's own rules on top of the federal ones.

Check out these links for more discussion
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/archive/index.php/t-1205.html

http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/996862

thanks bigkahuna, boo boo, and mckbrew. funny how that works. people can make jam or brownies or pasta sauce in their kitchen and go sell it at a farmers market unregulated but homebrew's a no-no

funny how that works. people can make jam or brownies or pasta sauce in their kitchen and go sell it at a farmers market unregulated but homebrew's a no-no

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No, one of the homebrewers I know used to make chocolates at home & sell them. He got nailed by the health inspectors. One hit was for having a cat in the house.

david_42 said:

No, one of the homebrewers I know used to make chocolates at home & sell them. He got nailed by the health inspectors. One hit was for having a cat in the house.

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Exactly- even to sell jam or other things, you have to have a commercial kitchen inspected yearly by the health department. One time events like church bake sales are generally excluded, but I'm not sure that even all church bake sales are legal.

I have friends who make BBQ sauce and sell it. They used to rent a commercial kitchen once a month to make the sauce, so they could be legal. Eventually, they built onto their house for this commercial kitchen to make one product. I would guess that beer/wine to sell would be more than three times the government red tape, due to state liquor laws as well as the commercial food laws.

Every state has different rules regarding food sales at farmer's markets, etc... Right or wrong, the rules regarding alcohol sales are pretty much the same everywhere.