Premises Licence needed?

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moodystag

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Hello,

I am sorry if this topic has been already discussed but the search I performed wasn't helpful.

Am I right thinking that if we do not sell beer in the premises we do not need a premises licence?

Background. We are setting up a Nanobrewery using part of an industrial unit which already we rent. The section of the brewery will be independent though. In our brewery we plan to sell B2B and we have not intention at this stage to sell directly to consumers at the premises.

We had been trying to get some help from the council licensing board but neither them nor their website have been much of a help.
 
I'm amazed your LA Lic board have not helped. Mine have helped so much with our brewery development. We went the other way. We have a full pub premises license for our restaurant and off sales. Our LSA suggested going bigger with our brewery development application to include the brewery and grounds for taster sessions and brewery themed outside events. We have good history though. 12 years operational and still growing!

Maybe contact and engage your local politician to champion your business development? We use HIE (Highland & Island Enterprise) as an interface up here. We get lots of training budget and access to experts to help design our development. If you plan to employ it makes a big difference. I reccon there must be a LG business development officer just waiting to fight your cause? Good luck!
 
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I'm amazed your LA Lic board have not helped. Mine have helped so much with our brewery development. We went the other way. We have a full pub premises license for our restaurant and off sales. Our LSA suggested going bigger with our brewery development application to include the brewery and grounds for taster sessions and brewery themed outside events. We have good history though. 12 years operational and still growing!

Maybe contact and engage your local politician to champion your business development? We use HIE (Highland & Island Enterprise) as an interface up here. We get lots of training budget and access to experts to help design our development. If you plan to employ it makes a big difference. I reccon there must be a LG business development officer just waiting to fight your cause? Good luck!

thank for your help. Perhaps I was unlucky but if you trying to phone them a recorder answer directs you to their website. But the website hasn't been helpful at all. I sent an email and an old fashioned letter. Hopefully to get an answer. Is HIE same thing as Business Gateway?
 
Hi, Yup (I think,,) Try them, LA's have been stuffed with cuts. I left early,,,, Get BG involved with your business plan. Get your MP on board. If you can plan in employment and demand for your product (throw in community involvement if you can) and get EHO / Trading standards in early. Are you food registered for the business? and done HACCP risk assessments on your processes (brewing) as it is a big help,,, (IMHO) ,,,, I'm a bit OCD on this but still learning to brew good beers,,, ;o|P
 
If you don't sell beer retail/to the public then you don't need a license but if you sell to the public anywhere else you need a license there or if you deliver it to the public then you need a premises license for where its sold from which would normally be were its stored, to sell it trade you need to register for AWRS instead and don't need a license.
 
Hi, Yup (I think,,) Try them, LA's have been stuffed with cuts. I left early,,,, Get BG involved with your business plan. Get your MP on board. If you can plan in employment and demand for your product (throw in community involvement if you can) and get EHO / Trading standards in early. Are you food registered for the business? and done HACCP risk assessments on your processes (brewing) as it is a big help,,, (IMHO) ,,,, I'm a bit OCD on this but still learning to brew good beers,,, ;o|P

Thanks you for the reply. Apart from the MP (can't stand these people but I will do my best) everything is more or less done.
 
If you don't sell beer retail/to the public then you don't need a license but if you sell to the public anywhere else you need a license there or if you deliver it to the public then you need a premises license for where its sold from which would normally be were its stored, to sell it trade you need to register for AWRS instead and don't need a license.
Thank you for your answer. So to understand properly, If I attend an event in a food festival for instance, what I need only is a personal licence assuming that the festival holds a temporary premises licence. Did I get it all right? But assuming I want to sell beer online in that case I need a premises licence from the licensing board because I sell directly to the public even if customers don't enter my brewery at all. Am I correct?
 
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Aye, personal licence/training. Check the markets premises licence. Beer online is a bit more complicated.
Two years brewing legally and i have never been "more or less done" I honestly fumble from one dodged crisis to the next,,,,, So,,, are you really, really sure? as it really gets nasty quickly in early days. It is a house of cards. Do you have product liability insurance? What about your premises can it be used to brew? registered food manufacturing premises with change of use from planning? Waste discharge permit? (my current panic,,,,) @simon12 is spot on with HMRC. But how will you prove due diligence with your alcohol declarations? and duty brew segregation/process. Do you have a documented brewing system?

Sorry to sound so critical , but someone will look for this *hit,,,, with a clipboard and authority,,, TBH you will never be more or less done. Unless you actually get done,,,, ;o)
It is a complicated dance that we can all do, but to do it properly takes a lot of effort and time. If you do crack it though and find a niche you make a lifestyle that is great!
 
Yes thats right, any event/festival needs an event notice or premises license which you can get yourself easily if you need to and if selling online you need a premises license for were its sold from. I never sold beer I brewed to the public (but hope to soon) but if you do you will need to make sure its labelled correctly. All the stuff Druncan said is correct and it depends on your council how hard it can be (ie when they checked how we calculate ABV they obviously had no idea how it should be done so accepted what we said we do).
 
Aye, personal licence/training. Check the markets premises licence. Beer online is a bit more complicated.
Two years brewing legally and i have never been "more or less done" I honestly fumble from one dodged crisis to the next,,,,, So,,, are you really, really sure? as it really gets nasty quickly in early days. It is a house of cards. Do you have product liability insurance? What about your premises can it be used to brew? registered food manufacturing premises with change of use from planning? Waste discharge permit? (my current panic,,,,) @simon12 is spot on with HMRC. But how will you prove due diligence with your alcohol declarations? and duty brew segregation/process. Do you have a documented brewing system?

Sorry to sound so critical , but someone will look for this *hit,,,, with a clipboard and authority,,, TBH you will never be more or less done. Unless you actually get done,,,, ;o)
It is a complicated dance that we can all do, but to do it properly takes a lot of effort and time. If you do crack it though and find a niche you make a lifestyle that is great!
Hi, no problem. When I said "more or less" I was referring to the things you had listed. We have just started our journey and as you can imagine where are nowhere to be done :-) Cheers
 
Yes thats right, any event/festival needs an event notice or premises license which you can get yourself easily if you need to and if selling online you need a premises license for were its sold from. I never sold beer I brewed to the public (but hope to soon) but if you do you will need to make sure its labelled correctly. All the stuff Druncan said is correct and it depends on your council how hard it can be (ie when they checked how we calculate ABV they obviously had no idea how it should be done so accepted what we said we do).
Thanks for the clarification. We are trying to contact EHO. We have already booked an appointment with Business Gateway for labels. The only thing it wasn't clear was the premises licence.
 
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