home brew in isann

[davetrout]

Hey fellas,

me and the missus live in wa australia. I do homebrew coopers which works out about $15 aud for 30 long neck bottles or 60 stubbies. she is impressed as any thai girl is about saving money. Anyway to the point does anyone know can buy homebrew products in thailand, in sissaket area if possible because mama and poppa want to get on this action. I do understand a box of beer sells for about 500 baht so homebrew would have to be a lot cheaper to pusue this great adventure for my thai family. appreiciate any reply

cheers big ears

[stoneyboy]

Think you'll find its illegal cobber.

One of the most asked questions regarding home brewing in Thailand is 'IS IT LEGAL?'

In a nutshell 'NO'. It is illegal to home-brew alcohol whether it is fermented or distilled for personal consumption / sale.

However please see below for the official stance on it.

"Section 5 of the Liquors Act (1950) states that it is illegal for anyone to brew their own alcohol, or even have the equipment to do so.

The maximum penalty for contravention of this section of the Act is six months in jail, or a fine of 5,000 baht, or both.

If the offender sells the liquour, the maximum penalty rises to a year in jail or a 10,000 baht fine, or both.

Those are the maximum penalties and can be imposed for making and / or selling distilled alcohol (spirits).

The maximum penalties for brewing or fermenting alcohol - wine or beer, for example - are lower: 200 baht for making it and 5,000 baht for selling it.

So from the above, it can be seen that provided you are not distilling (making spirits) and selling alcohol, i.e. you are only making beer / wine for personal consumption and get caught, you can expect a 200 baht fine.

I have also heard a rumour that people who wish to make their own home-brew liquours legally can apply to their local excise office for a licence. I am going to look a little further into this and then report back on this when I know more.

Edited October 22, 2015 by stoneyboy

[davetrout]

oh no

[isanbirder]

Some while ago, I was staying in a village in Phayao when the whole village was celebrating the completion of a new viharn for the temple. My local friend and I went from house to house celebrating.... and we were offered home-brewed rice wine at every house! It varied from mild to lethal.

I am sure it was illegal, but as so often in Thailand, if you do something quietly, don't sell the product, and don't make a fuss about it, nobody is going to bother.

But if you antagonise a neighbour, and he snitches on you to the police, they'll pay you a visit.

[metisdead]

As stated above by stoneyboy, home brewing is an illegal activity in Thailand:

The Thai Government authorizes local governments to regulate alcohol production and sale under the Health Code. Local Government Rules 112 Section 58 NDOR, enacted 20th of July 1995, ‡15 provides that individuals cannot produce or sell alcohol without a license from the Thai Government. There is no exception in the law for personal consumption. While the law is obviously not enforced with any vigor in Thailand it is still against the law and those that engage in such activity are always in jeopardy of being caught.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/393027-brewing-and-distilling-at-home/

3) You will not post about activities or links to websites containing such material that are illegal in Thailand. This includes but is not limited to: gambling, betting, pornography, illegal drugs, fake goods/clothing, file sharing of pirated material, pyramid schemes, etc. Discussion of the above is permitted only as news items, but never as a "how to" topic.

Closed.