dougdecinces
Well-Known Member
This is something that won't happen for several years, but I have had this idea spinning in my head for some time now and I want to figure out whether:
a) This is legal
b) This is practical
As soon as we can afford to, my wife and I plan on buying some land in the country. I want to grow fruits and vegetables and sell them at farmer's markets. I notice the Bloomington, Indiana farmers market has a local winery that sells their wares, which gave me the idea of trying to sell beer there too.
My plan would be to brew on a nano-scale and every week bring 2-3 different beers in corny kegs (which I would rotate weekly) and sell growlers. I could also sell the occasional super-fancy beer (sours, barley-wines, etc.), which I would sell in bombers. If for some reason they don't allow growlers, I would bottle my beers in Grolsch bottles and charge a bottle deposit. I would also want to sell kegs to local restaurants, but I don't want to focus on that now.
I checked Indiana state brewing laws and couldn't find anything about farmers markets. I suppose I can contact the gummint, but I was hoping I could get an answer here first. I also want it to be known that I haven't really researched the financial aspect of this, so don't bite my head off if something like this is not financially sound.
I also wanted to know how interested you fellow homebrewers would be in getting growlers filled at a farmers market. I personally would look forward to being able to go every week and purchase beer. I'm hoping others feel the same. I've also considered opening the brewery to the public, but that is entirely dependent on how far out in the country I live. I would also be interested to hear what people would think about going to a brewery that is a bit off the beaten path, so long, of course, as the product and ambiance are quality.
a) This is legal
b) This is practical
As soon as we can afford to, my wife and I plan on buying some land in the country. I want to grow fruits and vegetables and sell them at farmer's markets. I notice the Bloomington, Indiana farmers market has a local winery that sells their wares, which gave me the idea of trying to sell beer there too.
My plan would be to brew on a nano-scale and every week bring 2-3 different beers in corny kegs (which I would rotate weekly) and sell growlers. I could also sell the occasional super-fancy beer (sours, barley-wines, etc.), which I would sell in bombers. If for some reason they don't allow growlers, I would bottle my beers in Grolsch bottles and charge a bottle deposit. I would also want to sell kegs to local restaurants, but I don't want to focus on that now.
I checked Indiana state brewing laws and couldn't find anything about farmers markets. I suppose I can contact the gummint, but I was hoping I could get an answer here first. I also want it to be known that I haven't really researched the financial aspect of this, so don't bite my head off if something like this is not financially sound.
I also wanted to know how interested you fellow homebrewers would be in getting growlers filled at a farmers market. I personally would look forward to being able to go every week and purchase beer. I'm hoping others feel the same. I've also considered opening the brewery to the public, but that is entirely dependent on how far out in the country I live. I would also be interested to hear what people would think about going to a brewery that is a bit off the beaten path, so long, of course, as the product and ambiance are quality.