Has anyone ever snuck a homebrew into a restaurant?

[funkstrman]

I've wanted to try this for some time now. I think it would be great to sit down and bust out my own brew. Not only is it cheaper, but it is usually better than what they have to offer. Has anyone done this before?

 

[spazzy]

Some states/cities allow you to bring in alcoholic beverages, sadly I do not know specifics

 

[jimmayhugh]

I know of at least two places near me that allow you to bring your own, but they charge a "corkage" fee for it.

Khoury's Fine Wine & Spirits lets us bring our own beers to share on their Wednesday Night Beer and Food Truck tastings. I always show them some love by buying a few bottles of their stock when I attend, after all they are in business to sell beer

 

[SkyHighBrew88]

Subscribed!

Because you know what the first beers the waitress always rattles off, "Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors light, Michelob, & PBR"...sigh.

 

[Quadrupled]

A few months ago I went to an Indian restaurant and ordered a Kingfisher, only to be told that the restaurant doesn't sell alcohol. Because of this, they invite you to bring your own beer - it will be homebrew for me on the next trip.

 

[funkstrman]

Subscribed!

Because you know what the first beers the waitress always rattles off, "Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors light, Michelob, & PBR"...sigh.

Ha yeah I hate that. Or you ask the waitress what IPAs she has on tap and you get a, "Oh I'm sorry, I don't know what that is." That's when I just get up and find out for myself, and start calculating the tip percentage.

I wonder if there are any restaurants in the Boise area that let you bring your own in...

 

[funkstrman]

A few months ago I went to an Indian restaurant and ordered a Kingfisher, only to be told that the restaurant doesn't sell alcohol. Because of this, they invite you to bring your own beer - it will be homebrew for me on the next trip.

Wow that's awesome. I would spend a good amount of time in a restaurant like that!

 

[stratslinger]

We've got a Thai restaraunt near us that BYOB like Quadrupled described... Went there with a big group a few months back and brought 2 or 3 growlers of homebrew and a bottle or two of wine.

 

[knotquiteawake]

A lot of the so called "Dry" areas of Texas allow for BYOB.

 

[funkstrman]

I'm going to have to make some calls in my area and find somewhere that will allow this. I had heard of places letting your bring your own wine, but I don't know of any off the top of my head. I seem to remember them attaching a fee to it like Jimmay said.

 

[MalFet]

The upside to cities with extremely tough liquor licensing laws is that restaurants that can't sell will often let you supply yourself. Most of the mid-range restaurants in Chicago, for example, are BYOB. Sneaking homebrew in seems a bit tacky, though.

 

[funkstrman]

Sneaking homebrew in seems a bit tacky, though.

Yeah, well that is what has stopped me from actually doing it. I would like to find a place that allowed it, and maybe bring one for the manager on the following visit if he/she showed interest.

 

[beergolf]

BYOB's are very common here and in Philly. The town I live in every restaurant is a BYOB, so I often bring homebrew to dinner.

 

[D_Ranged_Eskimo]

The only places I know of serve $2.99 steak and fries at lunch.

 

[bad67z]

BYOB's are very common here and in Philly. The town I live in every restaurant is a BYOB, so I often bring homebrew to dinner.

My brother in-law and this wife over the summer bought a house in Collingswood and live on E. Linden. I visited last November and we dined @ El Sitio. Great food and love the byo format.

 

[Airborneguy]

BYOB is very common in NJ because liquor licenses are very limited for each town.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Heck we've brought Corny's at the Greek restaurant where we do our monthly meetings!

MC

 

[mike_23us]

I have brought in a SN Torpedo to a BBQ place once

 

[TopherM]

I DJ at a club part time. I've been there the same two days a week for almost 8 years now. I brought in a bomber of homebrew one night to drink myself and give samples to a few friends and the owner, who I have a pretty good relationship with, threatened to call the ATF if I didn't put it back in my car. He said it was a SERIOUS no-no in FL.

HOWEVER, the fancy steak restaurant down the street openly advertises BYOB with a "corkage" fee, and I've taken growlers in there and they charge me like $8.50, which certainly saves me $$$, so I don't know where the law stands here in FL.

 

[beeber]

+1 to BYOB restaurants in Pennsylvania.

Long ago I snuck a homebrewed ESB into a nearby pub so I could compare it to a draft Fullers ESB. In hindsight I should have just asked, they are fairly laid back. It compared favorably, and a month or two later it won Best of Show in a local homebrew contest.

 

[Sacdan]

A few months ago I went to an Indian restaurant and ordered a Kingfisher, only to be told that the restaurant doesn't sell alcohol. Because of this, they invite you to bring your own beer - it will be homebrew for me on the next trip.

Went to a buddy's bachelor party at a Moroccan restaurant that didn't sell beer either. We knew ahead of time and I brought about 4 or 5 growlers. There were only about 6 of us there.

 

[beng]

Went to a buddy's bachelor party at a Moroccan restaurant that didn't sell beer either. We knew ahead of time and I brought about 4 or 5 growlers. There were only about 6 of us there.

That's it??

 

[daksin]

I haven't been anywhere in CA that didn't allow me to bring wine in, with or without a corkage fee. If I need/want to I generally just say it's a special occasion and we have a favorite that we'd like to bring in because the restaurant doesn't carry it. I would guess that any one of those places would allow the same with beer.

 

[boo boo]

I've wanted to try this for some time now. I think it would be great to sit down and bust out my own brew. Not only is it cheaper, but it is usually better than what they have to offer. Has anyone done this before?

Hmmmm I'll raise you one home brew. lol
I brought into my local liquor store, 2 bottles of lambics and 1 bottle of homebrew and walked out with a bottle of HobGoblin, a 6er of Coffee Porter and a liter of home brewed Coffee Porter. I joked with the cashier, that I wouldn't be paying for the home brew. Well, I was serious, I didn't pay for the home brew.

But, OP, I like the way you think.

 

[DakotaRules]

There are a few restaurants here in MA that you can bring your own. The Causeway in Gloucester charges a corking fee but the food is delicious!

 

[spearko520]

in pa, if you don't have a liqour license, BYO, or even complimentary drinks are at the owner's discretion (i think- i've been told this by the some of the folks that do it at their restaurants- i'm not sure what the actual legality is, but i've been in hundreds of places that do it). We actually look for places that don't have the license- many times their food is better because they can't make up money in lost food sales with overpriced liquor, and then you get to drink what you want, HB, mead, wine that doesn't cost 40 bucks for a bottle of swill- etc. I have always kept hard liquor discreet though, only because i've never seen anyone else doing it... same reason you'll never catch me cheesing in public.

 

[user 51917]

In MA you can BYO to any restaurant that does not have a licences if the owner allows it

 

[weirdboy]

I haven't been anywhere in CA that didn't allow me to bring wine in, with or without a corkage fee..

There is a Pakistani restaurant around here that is probably my favorite of that style of cuisiine that won't allow alcohol in the restaurant. We found this out the hard way when we brought a couple of (commercial) bottles to enjoy one evening with dinner.

I have also brought homebrew with me to a few places around here to share with friends during a meal. One time the head chef came out and asked to sample them, and made up a special pairing for one.

 

[rednekhippiemotrcyclfreak]

The first time I went to Helen, GA, I ate at a German restaurant, Eideweiss I think it was. Everybody in the place brought coolers of beer in. They don't sell it but don't charge a corkage fee either.