When a real ale lover made a tipple for his friends, little did he know that he’d be forced to register himself as a brewery.
Robert Shields, who produces 100 pints a month, decided to start charging friends six months after he started brewing.But before selling the home-made Moorlands and Runnymede bitters, he was told to convert his shed into a bonded warehouse and apply for two licences.
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Custom’s guidelines added he must pay 20p duty a bottle, measure how much alcohol is in his beer and record how much malt he buys.
of course when I finally get my shed brews done – it wont be of demonstrable quality to sell!
I'd expect that if you charge people to visit your shed, wether it's a museum, pub or cinema that you'd need to ensure that it meets various Health and Safety regs and you probably want public liability insurance too…