I’m going to visit family in Oklahoma for Thanksgiving, and they’ve asked whether I’ll be bringing some beer. When they visited me this summer, we (16 of us) wiped out a corny keg of cream ale in one afternoon - so I don’t think taking a couple sixers of bottles is going to get it done, and I’m thinking about taking a keg. We’ll be driving through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Oklahoma.
Is anyone aware of specific legal issues with transporting this quantity of 5.5% ABV beer packaged in this way across State lines? I’m not selling it or distributing it - just taking it to my uncle’s house for Thanksgiving. I know it’s likely that I’d “fly under the radar” anyway, but I’d like to know whether it’s worth the bother. I suppose I could bottle some beer off of my kegs, but I can move more beer in less space if it’s in a keg.
The only issue I see is that you have to stop at my house and I have to take scientific samples. Then I will decide if you can continue with your beverages or you have to leave them here.
;D
You’ll be fine…I think (could be way off) the reasoning for laws regarding moving alcohol across state lines is for taxation purposes, state A doesn’t want you buying from state B for cheaper prices and taking it back to state A for consumption. You’re moving non-taxable homebrew that is still going to be self-consumed…just don’t bring anything ‘else’ with you and you’ll be OK.
You’d have to work pretty hard to get yourself searched and also have a soda keg brought into question…or you could say it’s just yeast nutrient and end the discussion
AFAIK dirtyjerzy is right. You’re within your federal tax-exempt limit (or at least you’ll say you are), so you should be fine legally. From a practical standpoint, I took a cornie from IN to NV a couple months ago and iced it down once we got there. No problem at all.
I guess someone should point out that homebrewing isn’t illegal in OK, but it isn’t explicitly legalized either.
He’s not homebrewing in OK, he’s drinking homebrew in OK. Drive the limit on the way there - don’t look guilty, don’t display a rebel flag and don’t look like a moonshiner. I think a cop would have to be having his worse day ever to find anything wrong with what you’re doing. Tell em it’s Microbrewed beer. It’s only 5 gallons!
I think the only real issue would be just like any other time you transport alcohol, open container. So, just keep the cobra and gas off the keg, and keep your red plastic cups in the trunk, I think you’ll be good.
If anyone asks, tell them it is for the purposes of a competition. I don’t know any specifics of the states in question, but in Texas, that reason for transport is written into the home brew law.
Well, I made it to OK and back to OH without incident. I took a corny of Amber Ale and a couple fifths of limoncello. I was right - the family wiped-out the whole keg over a couple days, and I brought it home empty. I bought one of the small serving systems that uses the 16-ounce CO2 cartridges. It worked great, and took just under 3 cartridges to serve the whole keg.
Well just don’t get pulled over and everything should be fine. A keg should be easier to explain than my fiasco with bottles.
I had given a bunch of friends my Anglo-American Honey Ale. Well some decided to give me back the bottles at once and away from my house. Needless to say I got pulled over and the cop seen the 3 empty six packs in the back seat and I was quickly given a sobriety test. I passed and then I had to take a breathalyzer test. I tried to explain I was a homebrewer, even showed my AHA membership card and that I was recycling the bottles. I finally got him to believe me when I passed the breathalyzer. Which he then proceeded to explain that I passed the recycling center about a mile back. ??
