Homebrew Your First Batch: Federal-Legal Beer From a Kettle in the Garage

Federal law settles the baseline before anything else. Under 26 U.S.C. §5053(e) — on the books since October 1978 — any adult may produce beer for personal or family use without paying tax or holding any permit: up to 100 gallons per calendar year for a one-adult household, 200 gallons with two or more adults. The purpose clause is the whole game: personal or family use and not for sale. The exemption also covers beer only — distilling even a quart of whiskey from your own mash is illegal everywhere in the US without a federal permit.

All 50 states now allow homebrewing — Alabama and Mississippi were the last, in 2013 — but the fine print lives at state level. Find your state’s alcohol beverage authority (California ABC, Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, New York State Liquor Authority, and so on), search its site for “homebrew”, and open the statute it cites. You are collecting four facts: the citation itself, any ABV cap on homebrew, whether bottles may legally leave your home for tastings or competitions, and any household limits tighter than the federal figures.