Homebrew Laws

[PostModern]

Maybe if you didnt tell anyone your where making anything on the fringe of the law, then no-one would hassle you for it.. :icon_cheers:

It's already in the NSW case swap thread, so this is no news. I'd like to see the law tested, which is why I posted here. It's not like I'm making moonshine, it's just beer after all.

 

[Wardhog]

A bit of thread necromancy here, but I don't seem to be able to find the right search terms and this looks like an appropriate thread.

What are the legalities concerning this situation?
I'm a committee member of a cricket club. I would like to brew a batch for a special occasion for serving to members of the cricket club at this special occasion held on club premises.
Can the club buy the ingredients (maybe funded through donations), give them to me to produce the beer which will then be served at this function?
Will the funded by donations part tip it into illegality?

The club already has a license to sell packaged liquor.

 

[Fents]

if your not selling it, it shouldnt matter regardless of who pays for the ingredients.

 

[PostModern]

if your not selling it, it shouldnt matter regardless of who pays for the ingredients.

But can you give away beer on a licensed premises?

Wardhog, I'd be making an enquiry to your state's equivalent of the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing.

 

[HoppingMad]

Tricky one. You already have a license to sell & serve on premise, so as long as you are doing it responsibly can't see how there you could be in breach of your licence.

However the 'donations' could be seen as a sale - that's the tough one.

Those Brew on premise guys (like Barley Corn Brewers) have to pay excise on their sales, and possibly a hold a producing licence? dunno?

If you were going to go by the letter of the law, at the very least you might need to find out what the excise on your batch would be and factor that into the donation.

Would reckon if you had to go to court you'd be safe, and wouldn't worry - but if you are concerned about it and know a solicitor with some spare time on their hands, get them to check it out for you (Victorian Liquor Licensing Acts and that stuff). Doesn't hurt to get an opinion.

Personally I wouldn't worry about it - just make sure there's no coppers on the team that don't like your beer and will want to bust you!

Hopper.

 

[Effect]

I have heard of these sort of things going on.

My dad when he was young went to this party or something or other when he was younger.

It was at an unlicenced venue. They had beer, and it was for free. But if you wanted to get in, you had to buy a bag of peanuts.
















Peanuts at this venue cost $50

 

[newguy]

Giving it away isn't really an issue (and that's what I would personally claim no matter where the beer or ingredients came from - it's mine and I'm generous). Just get the club to buy the ingredients. You donate your time to brew it. Technically it's the club's property. You're just......preparing......it. No one outside the club (and now AHB I guess ) has to know where the beer came from. If anyone "official" inquires, say that "someone" (and you can't remember who, darn it) left the keg so you decided to help yourselves.

Then of course the club will have to replace the keg itself after it gets confiscated.

 

[Carbonator]

I offered to donate the use of a boat for an employee "social club" outing. Someone mentioned insurance and the idea was "canned".

Obviously "responsible serving of alcohol" practices are employed, but I would talk to the insurance provider first, then the the liquor licensing authority. See if insurance covers home brew made to ISO home brew standards.

 

[Wardhog]

I offered to donate the use of a boat for an employee "social club" outing. Someone mentioned insurance and the idea was "canned".

Good point. I think I'll just forget it altogether.

Not worth trying to do anything for anyone in this litigious day and age.

 

[peas_and_corn]

You can send me beer, and I won't sue you- promise!

 

[Bribie G]

Next week, Inshallah, I'll be at a licenced club and everyone there will be turning up with home brew and passing it around on the premises (BABBS meeting). :icon_cheers:

 

[MarkBastard]

Anyone know if kits have excise? What about fresh wort kits?

I'm guessing it has to have an alcohol percentage and not the 'potential' for an alcohol percentage to be taxed with excise? Just regular GST then?

 

[HoppingMad]

I should add that I've been to a bunch of events, even one at a licensed bowls club in inner melb where kegs of homebrew was shared and no one gave a hoot. There was entry on the door, but it was purely an entry fee.

Even know of some microbrewers that used to charge for tastings at low key events long before (long before their licence was approved) in the name of 'product research'. This was on private property mind you.

If you flag your issue with the licensing authority be careful - don't give details of your club or timing of your event away or they may come out and haunt you if you decide to proceed with it. Simply call them up, raise the issue and be vague about the details.

If you do find out anything, post it back here - I'm sure we've all been to a keg party or two. Would be interesting to see what they say and what they reckon our legal obligations would be.

Hopper.

 

[Fermented]

Anyone know if kits have excise? What about fresh wort kits?

I'm guessing it has to have an alcohol percentage and not the 'potential' for an alcohol percentage to be taxed with excise? Just regular GST then?

There is no excise on these items as they fall outside the Act. Just good ole GST.

There are some interesting and beneficial GST issues that you might be able to think of provided that you can demonstrate a causal link between 'A' and 'B', but I won't go into that here.

Cheers - Fermented.

 

[dc59]

I've still been wondering about whether it is legal for someone under age to produce alcohol.

As it turns out a student I tutor fermented dissolved glucose at school for science. Since than I've spoken to other science teachers and they said that its a fairly common experiment to do.

Noting that the supermarket sells kits without any age checking, I can only assume that there is no age limit on fermenting alcohol.

Anyone no anything more about this?

 

[Beer&Kebab]

Good point. I think I'll just forget it altogether.

Not worth trying to do anything for anyone in this litigious day and age.

"No good deed goes unpunished"

 

[peas_and_corn]

I've still been wondering about whether it is legal for someone under age to produce alcohol.

As it turns out a student I tutor fermented dissolved glucose at school for science. Since than I've spoken to other science teachers and they said that its a fairly common experiment to do.

Noting that the supermarket sells kits without any age checking, I can only assume that there is no age limit on fermenting alcohol.

Anyone no anything more about this?

In chem I had to distill alcohol, but we were forced to burn it after doing so- so I'd imagine it would be fine as long as they cannot access the final product.

 

[newguy]

I've still been wondering about whether it is legal for someone under age to produce alcohol.

As it turns out a student I tutor fermented dissolved glucose at school for science. Since than I've spoken to other science teachers and they said that its a fairly common experiment to do.

Noting that the supermarket sells kits without any age checking, I can only assume that there is no age limit on fermenting alcohol.

Anyone no anything more about this?

I imagine that it probably is against the law, but your question reminds me of a conversation I once had with a friend that owns a homebrew supply shop (and now a brewery). Technically, all the kits, ingredients, equipment, etc are not restricted at all. Anyone, of any age, could walk in and buy everything necessary to make beer or wine with no restrictions. My friend, however, made it his policy not to sell those things to anyone under the legal drinking age.

To be honest, if they were that desperate for alcohol they could walk into any grocery store and emerge 5 minutes later with everything they need to make alcohol at home. Not anything good tasting, but enough to do the job if you're not terribly picky.

 

[HoppingMad]

To be honest, if they were that desperate for alcohol they could walk into any grocery store and emerge 5 minutes later with everything they need to make alcohol at home. Not anything good tasting, but enough to do the job if you're not terribly picky.

Case in point here Link to article

Mixing vanilla essence with lemon drink to get a buzz? Urggh!

Matter of time before you have to go to the bottleshop to get stuff to bake a cake? :lol:

Hopper

 

[Bribie G]

Case in point here Link to article

Mixing vanilla essence with lemon drink to get a buzz? Urggh!

Matter of time before you have to go to the bottleshop to get stuff to bake a cake? :lol:

Hopper

Vanilla used to be very popular, and Queen Essences voluntarily put the price up to over $5 to stop the 'abuse'. Going back ten or fifteen years you could buy a 250ml flask shaped bottle for about $3 and at about proof spirit strength that was a fifth of the price of an equivalent bottle of Bundy.

I have drunk it myself, many years ago when it was 90c a little bottle, not out of desperation but out of choice. A really top mix is a small vanilla essence tipped into a small Maccas vanilla thick shake and stirred (not shaken B) ). It's out there with Baitz Island cream, Baileys etc. and was a good way of getting a nice hit if you were on the way home from the shopping and didn't want the hassle of parking and going into a bottlo. Drive through Maccas, tip the bottle and :super: - Ingredients alcohol, vanilla bean extract, water, sugar. Pure as Lion Nathan.

If careful you can even drink it in Maccas with your burger - a new twist on BYO.