[jgl2ltts]

I'd like to donate homebrew to my church's festival but I'm leery of alcohol laws / regs, etc.  I don't have an alcohol license nor a business name, I'm strictly a homebrewer. I live in Florida. 

If anyone can provide insight into the legalities of this idea please reply.

[ynotbrusum]

It is very much state and fact specific.  Someone on this forum may know, but you have to say where this is happening and what you intend to do (obviously you can't sell the beer, but you also have to watch if things are raffled, etc...where a sale might be considered as being made indirectly).

[punatic]

Try contacting the Central Florida Home Brewers in Orlando.  They've been around since 1989 and have put on many functions in that time.  They are a great group, and I betting they can help you with your questions.

[hopfenundmalz]

You could donate a brewing lesson.  The winner gets to help make the beer, pitch the yeast, and take the finished beer home.

[Gary Glass]

The AHA has the statute and analysis for Florida homebrew law on our website: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/government-affairs/statutes/florida.

In this case, I don't think the donation would be a problem so long as the homebrew isn't served to minor and there is no exchange made for the homebrew (i.e. it's not sold, raffled, put up for auction, etc).  If the donated beer is simply being served as samples to adults, it should be fine.

Cheers!
Gary

[Gribble]

I did the same thing with our first festival attended, we donated the beer to the festival, received no compensation for the beer at all, and there were no problems.  This is WA however, but it should be the same most anywhere, but to be sure check your local laws.

[tschmidlin]

I did the same thing with our first festival attended, we donated the beer to the festival, received no compensation for the beer at all, and there were no problems.  This is WA however, but it should be the same most anywhere, but to be sure check your local laws.

Completely different in WA - was it a WBC run fest?  When you donate beer to the Washington Beer Commission they are allowed to accept the donation (they specifically, under the WA law that created the commission) and serve it.  Not everyone in the state can do the same, let alone other states.

[bobberdc]

Kudos to any church willing to serve homebrewed beer.

As previously mentioned, as long as nothing of value is exchanged for the beer (either to you or by the church as a fundraiser), there shouldn't be a problem.

[Thirsty_Monk]

As it is interpreted in Wisconsin right now I even can not remove my homebrew from my house. Hopefully it will be fixed soon.

[Pawtucket Patriot]

As it is interpreted in Wisconsin right now I even can not remove my homebrew from my house. Hopefully it will be fixed soon.

Leos is getting at the more significant issue with donating homebrew for a cause/charity/church/etc.  Both federal and state laws have imposed "use" or "removal" restrictions on homebrew.  These restrictions dictate what a homebrewer can do with his or her homebrew.  And while the federal restrictions are applicable to all states, the state laws vary greatly.  I'm not familiar with Florida use restrictions, but it might be worth your while to look into them.  Someone posted earlier about a homebrew club that might have some information on local laws/rules; I would contact that club.

A lot of the time, it's not a question of whether there is a sales component to using homebrew.  It's the use itself that may be violative of applicable laws.

BTW, cheers to your church for being cool with beer!

[phunhog]

I have "donated" beer for a church potluck before. Technically I was probably breaking the law because I received some really good potato salad and a hot dog in return.