Is it legal?

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IN YOUR OPINION, is is legal to donate homebrew as a raffle prize?

  • No

  • Yes

Results are only viewable after voting.
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pope_pius_ix

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I don't mean is homebrewing legal, which obviously is, and I don't mean is selling the stuff legal, which obviously isn't, but...

Is it legal to donate a bottle or two of homebrewed wine as a prize in a raffle?

To my thinking, it depends why the sale of homebrew is illegal anyway:

- if it's illegal because of the possible dangers of dodgy, dirty, contaminated homebrew as a result of dodgy, dirty, contaminated conditions when making it, then giving two bottles as a raffle prize ought to be illegal...

-...but if selling homebrew is illegal because of fears (in 1963) of the collapse of the wine trade, or mass pub closure, or something like that, then as there's no money involved in this deal, it ought to be legal.

Any length of answer, from "yes it's legal" or "no it's not" upwards, appreciated. Or complete the poll!

Thanks all!
 
I once asked to donate a keg to a local beer festival with proceeds going to charity. Something to do with the fact that its never had vat paid on it whereas stuff from your cupboard has. Can't see anyone reporting you for a local thing though!
 
You can brew for personal consumption. Anything else including giving it away is illegal.
 
The law in this case has nothing to do with trying to prevent dodgy bottles and protecting the public, or even from preventing the demise of commercial wine interests. It has to do with the long arm of Her Majesty's revenue collectors who take the view that money is changing hands for the raffle ticket and is therefore purchasing the wine. Wine that has not paid them any duty.
 
Poll deleted as pointless.

Ken has just answered the question, you can brew for your own consumption or for your own household only, and shouldn't even give bottles to your mates.
 
its like spreading peanut butter on your nuts and having your dog lick it off, its wrong and in most countries illegal, but if you don't tell anyone then no one will be any wiser :party:
my dog doesn't like peanut butter by the way, I was just using that as an example. :whistle:
 
Moley said:
Poll deleted as pointless.

Ken has just answered the question, you can brew for your own consumption or for your own household only, and shouldn't even give bottles to your mates.
Click to expand...


Shouldn't give bottles to your mates??? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Are you serious Moley???? :wha: :wha:

Who would ever know FFS??? :roll: :roll: :roll:


I've never laughed so much on here :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


Please don't publish my address in case the beer police come calling ;)


:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
oldstout said:
Moley said:
Poll deleted as pointless.

Ken has just answered the question, you can brew for your own consumption or for your own household only, and shouldn't even give bottles to your mates.
Click to expand...


Shouldn't give bottles to your mates??? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Are you serious Moley???? :wha: :wha:
Click to expand...

Yes He is, and the letter of the law states something like that the produce can only be consumed by the brewer, therefore if the missus has not helped you brew the batch of beer, wine, etc you are breaking the law letting her consume it......

I don't think anyone has been prosecuted for giving the wife a snifter yet though :D

UP
 
maybe the law has changed but you once was allowed to drink your brew in your own house and anyone else could do including under 18's as long as you gave permission and it was in your house where you brewed it , maybe that has changed
 
unclepumble said:
oldstout said:
Moley said:
Poll deleted as pointless.

Ken has just answered the question, you can brew for your own consumption or for your own household only, and shouldn't even give bottles to your mates.
Click to expand...


Shouldn't give bottles to your mates??? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Are you serious Moley???? :wha: :wha:
Click to expand...

Yes He is, and the letter of the law states something like that the produce can only be consumed by the brewer, therefore if the missus has not helped you brew the batch of beer, wine, etc you are breaking the law letting her consume it......

I don't think anyone has been prosecuted for giving the wife a snifter yet though :D

UP
Click to expand...


Oh, puleeeeeease..... :whistle: :whistle: :whistle: As we ALL know, the Law is an ASS (or should that be ****??)

Ange
x
 
Letting your wife have a sample is unlikely to get you prosecuted but I think in the senario of the OP..........

Letting a complete stranger buying a ticket for the chance to win a bottle of homemade beer/wine

Would be completely outside the law, that is verging on allowing someone to buy it.

Wine circles :hmm: well they have been around for a long time and no one has been prosecuted so perhaps a precedent has been set.
 
tonyhibbett said:
So a winemaking circle's tasting session is an illegal activity, then?
Click to expand...
Yes, as are beer competitions . . . although I think SIBA gets away with it as they are mostly commercial brewers who will have paid duty.

As an officer of the CBA It is something that I would like HMCE to clarify, I'm hoping to have a conversation with the vice chairman of SIBA next weekend, to see if I can get them on board to tackle the revenooers . . .and I will probably contact NAWB as well, the more organisations that can chase this the better.

At the moment I suspect that most competitions are operating on a we are not going to tell them and they'll leave us alone basis, which could be very expensive.
 
unclepumble said:
oldstout said:
Moley said:
you can brew for your own consumption or for your own household only, and shouldn't even give bottles to your mates.
Click to expand...
Shouldn't give bottles to your mates??? :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Are you serious Moley???? :wha: :wha:
Click to expand...
Yes He is, and the letter of the law states something like that the produce can only be consumed by the brewer, therefore if the missus has not helped you brew the batch of beer, wine, etc you are breaking the law letting her consume it......
Click to expand...
Damn! Does this mean we're no longer allowed to brew for the farm hands and domestic staff either?
 
Coming back to the raffle, if you won a bottle of homemade wine from an unknown source, would you be prepared to drink it? I've occasionally seen them at boot fairs and have not been tempted!
 
I just looked up UK current rates of duty. For wine 5.5-15% abv. it's £236.39 per hectalitre (1000 litres), about 20p per bottle. Clearly raffling a donated bottle of homemade wine would create a huge dent in the Treasury reserves!
 
...... but they wouldn't tax you on the odd bottle you gave away, they'd tax you on every single drop you've produced :twisted:
 

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