Anyone ever tried sharing your homebrews with followers on your social media?

Knee Deep · Jan 23, 2020

So we post a lot about our beers on Instagram and we get a good amount of interest from people messaging/commenting asking if they can try it. For our immediate friends, it's a no brainer, we share beer all the time. However, we started thinking "why not just offer to share with random followers, too?"

We wouldn't sell anything. I don't even think we'll try to be sneaky about it through a donation or anything like that. Literally just give away a beer or two to the people we can easily meet up with.

Anyone ever try this? What are the potential legal ramifications?

passedpawn · Jan 23, 2020

If you're giving it away, no worries. Donations or any form of remuneration is likely to raise suspicions though. If it was a private event, there's very little risk (even if you charged for it). But to advertise anything questionable in a public place (like social media!) would be begging for trouble.

Knee Deep · Jan 23, 2020

passedpawn said:
If you're giving it away, no worries. Donations or any form of remuneration is likely to raise suspicions though. If it was a private event, there's very little risk (even if you charged for it). But to advertise anything questionable in a public place (like social media!) would be begging for trouble.

Yeah that was our thinking as well. Just a free beer. No strings attached.

CodeSection · Jan 23, 2020

Ron C said:
Yeah that was our thinking as well. Just a free beer. No strings attached.

I think you made the right choice. All it takes is one picture or video taken from a cell phone of someone "donating or paying", even at a private event, to initiate a complaint or investigation...

Jayjay1976 · Jan 23, 2020

Ron C said:
Yeah that was our thinking as well. Just a free beer. No strings attached.

What if in exchange for the free beer, they keep following you on social media, driving up your numbers and increasing your following? That could be construed as an emolument. Give beer=get followers.

kh54s10 · Jan 23, 2020

I already do that, but I knew them before any contact on social media. In other words friends who are also on Facebook. I don't use any other besides HBT.