Culture > Hobbies > Homebrewing legality: Countries Compared
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DEFINITION:
States whether and under which conditions it is legal for individuals to brew beer in their private premises.
COUNTRY | DESCRIPTION |
---|---|
Australia | Legal for individuals to manufacture their own alcohol without paying excise with two provisions, that they do not employ the use of a still, and that they do not sell the product. |
Canada | Legal in most Canadian provinces. Liquor laws are regulated provincially, while the federal government has laws about taxation and importation of beer, wine and other liquors. |
Czech Republic | Legal. 200 Litres per household per year of beer, including notification of the customs office. 2000 liters of wine household per year. |
Denmark | Legal. No limit per household per year of beer, given that it is for personal consumption. |
Eritrea | Legal. |
Ethiopia | Legal. |
Finland | Legal for personal use only. |
Germany | Legal . 200 litres of beer per household per year may be produced without taxation, but notification of the local customs office is necessary. Larger quantities are taxed according to law. |
Hong Kong | Legal without a license within limits. |
Hungary | Legal . 1000 litres of beer per person per year may be produced without taxation, but notification of the local customs office is necessary. Larger quantities are taxed according to law. |
India | legal for personal use |
Iran | Illegal Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page ). |
Ireland | Legal for personal use. Illegal with intent to sell or if sold for profit. |
Japan | Legal up to 1% alcohol by volume only; suppliers sell homebrewing equipment and kits, leaving it up to the customer to brew within the law. Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page ). |
Malaysia | Illegal. |
New Zealand | title=Is home brewing legal?|url= http://www.alcohol.org.nz/faq/home-brewing-legal|work=Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=Health Promotion Agency|accessdate=12 June 2013}}</ref> |
Norway | Legal for personal use only. |
Poland | Legal for personal use only, not for sale. |
Russia | Legal for personal use only. |
Singapore | Legal up to 30 liters per household per month. Brewers must be 18 years of age or older, and the brewing process must not "degrade the environment". The product must not be sold. |
South Africa | Legal for home brewed beers in unlimited quantities for personal use only, not for sale or barter, without any required permits or licenses. Registration as a "manufacturer not for commercial use" at the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is required to produce wine at home. |
Sudan | Legal. |
Sweden | Legal for personal use only, not for sale. |
United Kingdom | Legal in unlimited quantity for domestic consumption only. Fermented products for sale must include payment of alcohol duty and registration with HM Revenue and Customs . |
United States | Legal in all states. Individual states remain free to restrict or prohibit the manufacture of beer, mead, hard cider, wine and other fermented alcoholic beverages at home. Until 2013, Alabama and Mississippi were the only states with laws prohibiting the homebrewing of beer. Alabama and Mississippi both legalized home brewing in their respective 2013 legislative sessions. Although all state governments have legalized homebrewing, some states retain local options that permit local governments to make homebrewing illegal under municipal law. Alaska in one such state where the local option is currently exercised. |