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If I were younger and Phish was still touring, I'd pack up a couple of kegs and sell cups of beer in the parking lot. $5.00 for a 16oz pour could buy a lot of stainless steel conical fermenters! (And blueberry KB.)
 
Cheesefood said:
If I were younger and Phish was still touring, I'd pack up a couple of kegs and sell cups of beer in the parking lot. $5.00 for a 16oz pour could buy a lot of stainless steel conical fermenters! (And blueberry KB.)
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Would it fit in the microbus?
 
It varies from state to state and the fees add up. Most states require that yoou produce a MINIMUM amount of beer and that minimum is VERY high.

An outlay that factors in the 10s of thousands is often the result.

There is a BeerPastor thread along the lines of "Don't try this at Home", he has real life experiene producing beer for profit.

Also this was asked about a month ago. Do a search.

Maybe we could all get Judith Regan to do a book for us.
"If I sold my Homebrew. Here's How I'd do it.":D
 
gtff said:
Has anyone had someone buy the ingredients and then you brew the beer for them?
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I'm about to do that with wine - even though I've never made it before. My mom used to get wine from my uncle, but he's been running short lately.
 
Strait out of the Mans mouth, look out some of us might be right on the cusp of legality when in comes to brewing for personal consumption.

http://www.ttb.gov/beer/index.shtml

Sec. 25.205
Production

(a) Any adult may produce beer, without payment of tax, for personal or family use and not for sale. An adult is any individual who is 18 years of age or older. If the locality in which the household is located requires a greater minimum age for the sale of beer to individuals, the adult shall be that age before commencing the production of beer. This exemption does not authorize the production of beer for use contrary to state or local law.

(b) The production of beer per household, without payment of tax, for personal or family use may not exceed:

(1) 200 gallons per calendar year if there are two or more adults residing in the household, or (2) 100 gallons per calendar year if there is only one adult residing in the household.

(c) Partnerships except as provided in Sec. 25.207, corporations or associations may not produce beer, without payment of tax, for personal or family use.

(Sec. 201, Pub. L. 85-859, 72 Stat. 1334, as amended (26 U.S.C. 5053))


This was last updated on September 17, 1999
 
Yikes!I guess a person might oughta not be so candid in their signature:D .(In case someones counting:( )
Cheers:mug:

Pri.-NOYD Beeswax;)
 
Bsquared said:
Strait out of the Mans mouth, look out some of us might be right on the cusp of legality when in comes to brewing for personal consumption.

http://www.ttb.gov/beer/index.shtml

Sec. 25.205
Production

(a) Any adult may produce beer, without payment of tax, for personal or family use and not for sale. An adult is any individual who is 18 years of age or older. If the locality in which the household is located requires a greater minimum age for the sale of beer to individuals, the adult shall be that age before commencing the production of beer. This exemption does not authorize the production of beer for use contrary to state or local law.

(b) The production of beer per household, without payment of tax, for personal or family use may not exceed:

(1) 200 gallons per calendar year if there are two or more adults residing in the household, or (2) 100 gallons per calendar year if there is only one adult residing in the household.

(c) Partnerships except as provided in Sec. 25.207, corporations or associations may not produce beer, without payment of tax, for personal or family use.

(Sec. 201, Pub. L. 85-859, 72 Stat. 1334, as amended (26 U.S.C. 5053))


This was last updated on September 17, 1999
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The purchase of ingredients does not prove a partnership. I am not certain about this case, but usually when the law talks about a partnerhship, they are talking about a legal entity for the purpose of doing business, not a group of people who get together and split responsibilities (ie, "you brew, I pay for ingredients, we drink" is ok, but there can't be a business or profit motive).

I actually read that whole statute a few weeks ago but now can't for the life of me remember what it said.
 
musicman said:
yeap done it.... illegal?
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I could be wrong but how could that be illegal? There would be no profit involved so it shouldn't be an issue. As a matter of fact you would be losing money if they only paid for ingredients. The cost of the water, propane, etc... would come out of your pocket.
If you do this does it count against your 200 gallons or the person you brewed it for?
I would actually enjoy brewing a batch or two for someone who wanted to pay for the ingredients.:mug:
 
beerfan said:
Does anyone here sell thier brew or is everyone just producing for themselves, friends and relatives?:off:
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Never sell, but I have a "tip" jar. You put a price on your brew and you just became a distributer.

Don't say you will "supply" the beer for an event (party) either.

And yes, people need to be careful on an open forum about posting how much they brew. Brewing over the 100 gallons for single adult and 200 gallons for a couple if you will is called bootlegging, and is illegal.
 
Once a month, my local shop brews an AG beer and sells the wort.
They have a pico brewing system, I think they can do about 100 to 150 gal at a time.
$25 gets you 5 gal of pretty good wort.
Add yeast at home and 6 weeks later, you got beer!
 
Funny...we've openlydiscussed pot beer and shroom beer, but everyone's afraid to sell their beer.

How about Ecstacybrau?
 
Cheesefood said:
Funny...we've openlydiscussed pot beer and shroom beer, but everyone's afraid to sell their beer.

How about Ecstacybrau?
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A most excellently valid point, cheesefood. Maybe it's about time I brewed some upperclasshobrau. I'll sell it for $250 per hour.
 
I think one of my more favorite parts of this hobby is to watch others try my beer and enjoy it.


PS going to need those pot and shroom reciepes. LOL!
 
That per household thing is an interesting loophole. I'm going to build a new brewstand. I'm making sure its portable, ie fits in my truck. My cousin is probably going to get married this summer and people are already looking at me.

What does "family" mean ?

If we cart my brewstand over to the inlaw to be's and brew say 2 10 gallon batches there and then we do another 2 10 gallon batches at my uncle's, does that have the "family" part of it covered ?

And if one were to serve from say a 2 or 3 Sanke kegs, wouldn't that look pretty official ? How would they know where the beer came from ? Do we need to take time stamped pictures of where it was brewed ?

I think one of my more favorite parts of this hobby is to watch others try my beer and enjoy it.
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Me too ! Beer is liquid happiness. Beer is proof that God loves us. I like brewing it because I know that people like drinking it. I'd love to brew for that wedding.
 
When it comes down to it, what actually is the act of brewing beer.

Is it making wort?
I would say, legally it is the act of adding the yeast.
So in theory you could make a 1000 gallons of wort at home. And take said wort to others and let them pitch the yeast.

Surely wort can be produced and sold with out the same restriction.
 
Cheesefood said:
If I were younger and Phish was still touring, I'd pack up a couple of kegs and sell cups of beer in the parking lot. $5.00 for a 16oz pour could buy a lot of stainless steel conical fermenters! (And blueberry KB.)
Click to expand...

Probably go good with some gooballs.
 
Maybe you have someone who would like to buy brewing supplies for you. Maybe they can buy supplies you brew they help some and split the beer
 
orfy said:
When it comes down to it, what actually is the act of brewing beer.

Is it making wort?
I would say, legally it is the act of adding the yeast.
So in theory you could make a 1000 gallons of wort at home. And take said wort to others and let them pitch the yeast.

Surely wort can be produced and sold with out the same restriction.
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I was pondering that same loophole as I had my 17 year old cousin help me today. He stirred the wort, he added hops, he smelled it, tasted it, got it all over his hands and shoes. It was great!

But he didn't pitch the yeast.

We all know what the rule is intended to mean. We know what it's intended to prevent. And if anybody tells me that I can't have an underage relative stir up some "barley soup" for me as we talk about the scientific principles of brewing beer, then they are the crazy ones.


And I'm not even sure that the act of pitching the yeast is the "making of beer". I would argue that humans are incapable of making beer. Only YEAST can make beer.
 
Toot said:
And I'm not even sure that the act of pitching the yeast is the "making of beer". I would argue that humans are incapable of making beer. Only YEAST can make beer.
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I agree. Technically we cannot make beer, but only create an environment where beer can be made. I dont think a judge would go for a "the yeast did it" arguement... :D
 
If I knew then what I know now I would have been one 16 year old bootlegging son of a gun in 1966:tank:
 
I couldn't find the thread about Beerparson, was it here?

I guess the state and local health folks are the worst. I think the federal tax is $10 per gallon of alcohol, which would work out to 75 cents per gallon of 7% beer? $1.50 per case? Probably has a form like a 1040? City stuff would be like a beer bar/restauraunt, which varies a lot? Health codes usually prohibit home cooking so needing a location means volume enough to pay the rent, which means bigger equipment, which cost more, and need bigger space, more rent, more taxes... But states would pobably be the worst, just because they can. Like they do in California with spray booths too.

So you can't start off at the swap meet level, like so many other home businesses. You'd have to go microbrewery or nix.

But this is all conjecture on my part, based on 20 years in my own small business, plus 5 years in restaurants, and 15 concurrent years on a bar stool.
 
In California I here tell we can only produce 100 gal per year per each resident of legal age in the household. The way I see it the last gallon I produce was the first of the year!!!!
 
bummerkit said:
I agree. Technically we cannot make beer, but only create an environment where beer can be made. I dont think a judge would go for a "the yeast did it" arguement... :D
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If the airlock doesn't fit, you must acquit!
 
smogman said:
In California I here tell we can only produce 100 gal per year per each resident of legal age in the household. The way I see it the last gallon I produce was the first of the year!!!!
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That's the law in most states (or something similar). The way I see it, no one has come by to measure my production...
 
Kaiser said:
If I would do it, then I would give out free beer and encurage donations ;)

Kai
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You're merely encouraging others to share the cost of production. No sales involved. :ban:
 
the_bird said:
Well, THERE'S your problem.

"BrewPastor" :D
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Well, I at least I had the concept right.
frown.gif


Good thread on the business end of things. Headaches galore, like in any business. And he didnt even touch on employee troubles. But no info on the legalities of whether it would be possible to make a couple bucks on a hobby- sized "home business".
 
casebrew said:
But no info on the legalities of whether it would be possible to make a couple bucks on a hobby- sized "home business".
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I think it's pretty clear that you can't unless you get yourself properly licensed. From all accounts, it's not feasible to go through that process unless this becomes a *real* biz, not just selling a random six-pack to your buddies. I'm sure the rules and regs vary by state, but I don't think there's any state where you are allowed to sell a little bit on the side.
 
You can make 100 gallons or beer AND 100 gallons of wine.

Cider, mead, and perry's really don't fall under these rules, do they?
 

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