personal dilemma

[DirtbagHB]

so i bottled 2 batches sunday. and i think i fort the priming sugar in the second batch... oops. any suggestiongs for the save. and i dont do gravity readings, mostly because if i look and my hydrometer wrong it breaks.


now the personal dilemma, im comming into a bit of cash shorty. and i cant decide if i want a motorbike (my girlfriend is adamantly against this option)or to convert my shed into a brewery as well as get a kegging and lagering system. in that thought i have a friend that works at the lbhs and he says that there have been a few people wandering in to the shop asking for my beer.

i think the hoops behind becoming licensed to sell to like 10 people would be rediculous. not tomention trying to get my shed classified as commercial grounds.

so whats ATF's stance on trading raw materials for finished product?

 

[motobrewer]

selling beer without a license is against the law.

bartering with beer is against the law period.

buy a motorbike. specifically, my Ducati.

 

[Pappers_]

Look for threads on 'nanobrewing' or 'nanobrewery' here.

But I don't see why going pro is connected to whether you use your money to convert your shed into a brewhouse and invest in some equipment.

 

[Revvy]

Look for threads on 'nanobrewing' or 'nanobrewery' here.

But I don't see why going pro is connected to whether you use your money to convert your shed into a brewhouse and invest in some equipment.

And I don't know why this is in Gluten free brewing and not drunken mumblings (that's what this really is, right?).....or he's afraid of using a hydrometer.

 

[DirtbagHB]

its in gluten free brewing because im strictly a gluten free brewer, and this would make a lot more sense if i had a few brews before posting this

everything people have posted about going pro with a microbrewery implys that its not financially possible if your under 300 barrels a year, im just a poor yacto-brewer at 3 barrels a year

i have a friend looking into doing a co-op where people buy in on a yearly basis and get a keg refill every month, the fine details are still up in the air. but hes thinking of using our local grocery co-op as a front. have a set up at the shop, but do the most of his brewing at his house. (shhhh its a front)

but as far as i know i have a customer base of like 10 people, and looking at the 500 for the numerous licenses, 1000 for a tax bond, not to mention the overhead with having a commercial space.

staging up would be nice. and the GF options here in my town are minimal but i cant afford to be giving beer away being the college student i am.

any one ever look into a NPO brewery? medicinal beer

im not afriad of hydrometers, im afraid of the glass in my feet.

 

[motobrewer]

and here we go...

 

[DirtbagHB]

flame shields engaged!

 

[DKershner]

so i bottled 2 batches sunday. and i think i fort the priming sugar in the second batch... oops. any suggestiongs for the save. and i dont do gravity readings, mostly because if i look and my hydrometer wrong it breaks.

Look for coopers carb drops or muntons carb tabs. Both should be gluten free. Pop the tops, drop the prescribed amount in the bottle, recap.

now the personal dilemma, im comming into a bit of cash shorty. and i cant decide if i want a motorbike (my girlfriend is adamantly against this option)or to convert my shed into a brewery as well as get a kegging and lagering system. in that thought i have a friend that works at the lbhs and he says that there have been a few people wandering in to the shop asking for my beer.

i think the hoops behind becoming licensed to sell to like 10 people would be rediculous. not tomention trying to get my shed classified as commercial grounds.

so whats ATF's stance on trading raw materials for finished product?

So...as to TTB and raw materials - finished product, that is "bartering" and therefore illegal.

As for making a front, that is also illegal of course.

As for the business viability of your idea, the co-op is an interesting one, but I think you would need a larger market in order to justify the costs associated with production. I also think you need to have many more batches under your belt before you can make something impressive enough to sell. Remember that yours would cost more than redbridge.

As for motorcycle vs brew equip...brew equip.

 

[KevinM]

I'd first say stick it in a bank for when you need it. Between the two given options, I'd say set up the shed if you're able. It'd probably be nice to have somewhere you can work other than outside, the garage, or the kitchen.

As for selling/trading, I doubt you'll be able to in any legal fashion. There usually isn't anything wrong with having someone come by and drop ingredients off, help out, and/or have some of the homebrew, but beyond that seems tricky. I've only done a few bits of lookup before deciding I'd open a resturant before a brewpub. Some places say that people can share beer, as long as it's at a home, not a place of business. And there was a state this year who couldn't do a brewers competition at their state fair.. wasn't it Oregon? Apparently some states don't even allow beer to travel.

If said people manage to lift a few bottles or a keg while your back is turned, maybe while you close your eyes and hum to yourself, then it'd be some sort of theft isn't it? Just kidding. It's really going to depend on the state it seems.

 

[DKershner]

And there was a state this year who couldn't do a brewers competition at their state fair.. wasn't it Oregon? Apparently some states don't even allow beer to travel.

Yeah, that is a weird interpretation of a law mostly. It'll get overturned when Congress reconvenes, but for the moment our beer can't even be removed from our house.

 

[DirtbagHB]

... i read about that and all i could think was " glad i dont like in oregon."

i wonder how the laws are about friends brewing together, split material costs, brew at one location, ferment at the same location, then split the finished product.

hell, id get get some one sauced for week if i could get em to wash and de-label my bottles

 

[KevinM]

That sounds more of a plausible plan. You'll still want to check that you're not stuck with odd, old laws like Oregon temporarily has. At least the Commission there knew it was dumb too when they said that hopefully they'd have it next year.

 

[aggieotis]

It seems like the 'have them help you buy ingredients and pay for part of the equipment, then split the beer' seems like the best route.

Then just inflate your ingredient and equipment costs slightly.

Edit:
Oh, and if you go for a motorcycle go for a cheap used one. You can usually buy one that's 3+ years old and then sell it a year or two later for the same price. Highly recommend the SV650 for your first bike. I had one in 2003, then sold it in 2005 after putting 11,000 mi on it and sold it for $50 less than I bought it for. Ended up costing me $0.0045 per mile.

 

[DKershner]

" glad i dont like in oregon."

Plenty of fine other reasons to live here. If I ever get really depressed about the homebrew law I could always frequent one of the 12 breweries in town. 3 win awards consistently at GABF.

As for the situation you quoted, that is what my buddy and I do near exactly. Brew at my place, ferment at either place, drink at both places. I think that's legal even under the new interpretation of the law, although not much seems to be.

 

[DirtbagHB]

well, i think ive figured out what im going to do, well at least in regards to the brewing. im going to start asking folks that want my stuff to come over and help. im going to look into the kegging and lagering system. im also going to power and insulate my shed. see if i can keep it warm enough to be the brewery. idaho gets COLD.

if a get a jeep sold ill make 600. and ill put that towards a bike. ive had my eye on a 93 honda nighthawk250, the guys asking 1000 ill offer 650. if it goes its goes, if not then it wasnt ment to be....

 

[DirtbagHB]

next time i get some money its going towards 20lbs of quinoa to malt