Getting my brew into restaurants

[richlong8020]

Ok sooooooo, I have a friend opening a restaurant in may and I would like to have my beer in there. Being that it is illegal to sell Homebrew without the proper channels and papers. Where do I start because I really don't want to jeopardize my homebrewing or my friends restaurant.

As always your wisdom is appreciated.

 

[grimzella]

tough one.

 

[scottland]

Search how to start a brewery. The long and short of it is: you can't sell your homebrew in your friends restaurant.

 

[richlong8020]

Well I can I just need to do it the legal way. Hence why I'm here for advice

 

[feinbera]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/i-went-pro-what-actually-takes-do-so-386476/

TLDR: if you're lucky, cash in the low six figures, permits from many agencies/authorities and many months to acquire them, a dedicated building to brew in... you literally cannot legally sell homebrew, because by the time you've got a facility that meets all the legal requirements, you've built a professional brewery.

 

[bueschen]

Could you offer your beer free to patrons and simply tell them donations to your beer brewing are highly appreciated?

 

[richlong8020]

Wow that's a great thread to read. Well by my self it seems like a crazy adventure. I need business partners haha. Now I'm curious about what would happen if the beer was in the restaurant. This is an info only thread BTW but I have to admit that I really think about having a micro one day.

 

[richlong8020]

Could you offer your beer free to patrons and simply tell them donations to your beer brewing are highly appreciated?

Unfortunately that does fall under the illegal part too. U can gift it, sure, but getting ANYTHING in return without the proper steps through the state/fed channels is illegal

 

[amandabab]

Could you offer your beer free to patrons and simply tell them donations to your beer brewing are highly appreciated?

no you can't

 

[bueschen]

Bummer.

Even here, in hyper regulated Germany, this is allowed.

 

[richlong8020]

Ya too bad I can't move to Germany. Though it would be nice.

 

[Revvy]

No one seems to have acutally given you any places to start. Start here, and here, then go to your State's alcohol site for the hoops you have to go to there, and refer your other questions like that to here. Probrewer.com is the best resource to go to for questions since people are actually doing it.

Also, Cape Brewing actually has a great thread on what's involved in going pro. I went "pro" - What it actually takes to do so. (which someone else posted as well.)

It's not easy...he just cant sell your beer, nor in actuality can he have un taxed, unlicensed alcohol on premise without endangering his liquor license.

 

[richlong8020]

Again good info. The last thing I want is to put someone else's hard work in a business in jeopardy. Onward and upward in taking steps to get started on a dream.

 

[rklinck]

One other thing to look at would be having your friend get his restaurant permitted as a "brew pub." In many states getting a brew pub designation is only a matter of paying an additional fee for a restaurant and having the health inspectors okay the set up once the brewing equipment is installed. The restaurant would have to have room for your brew equipment and I suspect you would only be allowed to sell what is brewed onsite, but this might be an option. That's how Dogfish Head got its start.

 

[FoundationFunkwerks]

If your state allows "self-distribution / nano-breweries" go that route. Smaller volumes so you don't need (per-say) staff.

Check it to see if your state dose then find a location, make it a nano, contact the TTB, and (hopefully) with in a few months to a year you could be selling right out your own doors!

CHEERS!

http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/government-affairs/self-distribution-laws

 

[dbennett78]

One other thing to look at would be having your friend get his restaurant permitted as a "brew pub." In many states getting a brew pub designation is only a matter of paying an additional fee for a restaurant and having the health inspectors okay the set up once the brewing equipment is installed. The restaurant would have to have room for your brew equipment and I suspect you would only be allowed to sell what is brewed onsite, but this might be an option. That's how Dogfish Head got its start.

Not True. Would still need to apply to TTB and get approved that way. Only difference between a brewpub and a microbrewery is just the state licensing fees and regulations on production.

 

[rklinck]

Not True. Would still need to apply to TTB and get approved that way. Only difference between a brewpub and a microbrewery is just the state licensing fees and regulations on production.

True, but from what I have seen, the TTB is not the major obstacle to getting a nano up and running. State laws and regulations are often the problem. Under TTB regs, for example, you can run a nano brewery out of a detached garage on your property. If you live in a city, I can almost guarantee that you will not be able to do so because of zoning requirements. That means you will have to rent space somewhere and many locales will require you to rent space in an area zoned industrial. If you have to rent separate space, your breakeven point goes way up. And you may not have many options for small spaces in industrial zones (nano breweries were not what the buildings in those areas were generally built for).

If his friend has room in the restaurant, he can avoid the hassles and expedite the process. Considering that the friend will already be applying for a state liquor license, that will be one less hoop to jump through.

 

[brewmcq]

I can self-distribute in Maine... and am headed that direction... :-D

 

[Darwin18]

Try researching on the probrewer forums - they're probably better geared to what you're looking to do.

 

[dpatrickv]

To put it simply.


Open a brewery.

 

[ktblunden]

To put it simply.


Open a brewery.

Yep, that is the ONLY way to legally sell your beer in the US.