Selling Beer

[timbowden]

Hi all,
Does anyone know any of the legal stuff/customs and excise involved in selling your beer? I have a good friend who owns and runs a few restaurant /bars in my area and is currently refurbing a hotel and has expressed an interest in having some of my beer to sell.
It wont be on a big scale initially (or at all!) but i obviously need to go down the proper channels.

tim :thumb:

 

[klaus]

Go onto the HMRC website and look for a 100+ pages PDF on Beer Duty from the "Beer Accounting Office". If you are selling, beer duty is generally due once it's produced or it leaves the brewery gate.
I am sure there are better experts on here, but the general rule for us homebrewers is "no selling", which includes raffles.

 

[graysalchemy]

Its not just HMRC, environmental health will have something to say, Planning authorities would have to be informed, if you are brewing from home then you will need commercial insurance on the property as well as third party liability and product insurance and also mortgage people may not be happy either. If you use your car to deliver you probably won't be insured for business use either.

All things to be considered and see if it is financially viable.

IMHO probably not.

 

[graysalchemy]

With regards to duty you would also have to pay duty on all beer produced even the stuff you drink yourself ie your own 'home brew' batches.

 

[hoofy]

Its not just HMRC, environmental health will have something to say, Planning authorities would have to be informed, if you are brewing from home then you will need commercial insurance on the property as well as third party liability and product insurance and also people may not be happy either. If you use your car to deliver you probably won't be insured for business use either.

All things to be considered and see if it is financially viable.

IMHO probably not.

If the thought of having to deal with that lot doesn't put him off, :hmm: then all I can say is the lad's got drive. :clap: :mrgreen:


*Sorry I had to delete the word 'mort_gage' from your quoted post, graysalchemy, the software wouldn't allow me to post the word as a new user as it rang the spam alarm, apparently. :?

 

[graysalchemy]

A few members are making a living from making beer but I doubt that it can be done just selling 100L at a time. It needs commitment and money and i take my hat off to those who have managed to make a living from it. There are a lot of easier ways to make money ones which the odds are not stacked against you and ones where you don't have to pay duty as well as VAT and corporation tax.

I forgot to mention VAT and corporation Tax in my list. :lol:

 

[Andyhull]

There are a lot of easier ways to make money ones which the odds are not stacked against you and ones where you don't have to pay duty as well as VAT and corporation tax.

Please tell! :lol:

 

[graysalchemy]

Anything which has a high value but low production cost and no extra duties.

Beer prices are dictated by the large breweries, small producers can not charge much more than what the major breweries charge for a cask ale so the economies of scale are stacked against you even if you are paying a lower rate of duty.


If I was to go into artisan food production cheese would probably be my choice .

 

[Andyhull]

I would like to start making cheese too.
Often thought about doing a simple milk boil and lemon juice to seperate.
Then strain and enjoy.
I like the idea of maturing some too but don't have a temprature controlled environment.

Oops, sorry for going off topic

 

[graysalchemy]

I want to make stilton like this

 

[hoofy]

I want to make stilton

That looks way too much like hard work for me.

Can you not buy such a thing as a cheese kit, where you just add milk? :lol:

 

[graysalchemy]

Yes Milk :lol: :lol:

 

[timbowden]

Thanks for all the info guys (and the cheese ideas :clap: )
VAT, corporation tax etc are things i already get involved in but the other stuff needs looking into (dont fancy declaring my "home brew"!)
My mate might actually have the space and funding to actually get a brew house onsite so i will still follow up info and give him all the facts!

: tim

 

[calumscott]

For Duties you need to read and understand these:

Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979 (ALDA) - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1979/4/contents
Finance Act 1991 - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1991/31/contents

And for makers of cider, this statutory instrument is a lovely little loophole:

The Cider and Perry (Exemption from Registration) Order 1976. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1976/1206/contents/made

Just make sure that what you sell is actually cider:

The Alcoholic Liquor Duties (Definition of Cider) Order 2010 - http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/1914/memorandum/contents

Food production, food safety and all that gubbins I haven't even started looking at I'm afraid...