Legality
| Country | Homebrewing | Home distillation |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Legal. 200 liters 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. | |
| Hungary | Legal. 100 liters 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. | Legal. 50 liters of palinka 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. |
| Czech Republic | Legal. 200 Liters per household per year of beer, including notification of the customs office. 2000 liters of wine household per year. | Not permitted although every household can distill fermented fruit only, up to 30 liters per year in a local distillery, for personal use only. |
| Poland | Legal for personal use only, not for sale. | Prohibited |
| Sweden | Legal for personal use only, not for sale. | Prohibited; |
| Ireland | Legal for personal use. Illegal with intent to sell or if sold for profit. | Illegal except for officially licensed and regulated distilleries. |
| Russian Federation | Legal for personal use only. | Legal for personal use. |
| Finland | Legal for personal use only. | |
| 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. | Legal with a license to distill granted by the government. |
| 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. | |
| United States | Individual states remain free to restrict or prohibit the manufacture of beer, mead, hard cider, wine and other fermented alcoholic beverages at home. For example, Ala. Code ยง 28-1-1 addresses the illegal manufacture of alcoholic beverages in Alabama, and no other provision of Alabama law provides an exception for personal use brewing.
However, most states permit homebrewing, allowing 100 gallons of beer per adult per year and up to a maximum of 200 gallons per household annually when there are two or more adults residing in the household. Because alcohol is taxed by the federal government via excise taxes, homebrewers are restricted from selling any beer they brew. This similarly applies in most Western countries. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter signed into law a bill allowing home beers, which was at the time not permitted without paying the excise taxes as a holdover from the prohibition of alcoholic beverages (repealed in 1933). This change also exempted home brewers from posting a "penal bond" (which is currently $1000.00) which had the prohibitive effect of economically preventing brewers of small quantities from pursuing their hobby. |
Regulated at the National level under USC Title 26 subtitle E Ch51. Production of distilled alcohols for consumption carries an excise tax and numerous requirements must be met to legally produce.
Owning or operating a distillation apparatus without filing the proper paperwork and paying the taxes carries federal criminal penalties. |
| 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. | A license is required to own a still larger than 5 liters regardless of whether it is being used to produce alcohol. To operate any size still for the production of alcohol (even for personal use) requires a license and excise must be paid. The rate, as of March 2011, is in excess of $71 (AUD) per liter of alcohol produced. |
| New Zealand | Legal for personal use, not for selling without a license | Legal since 1996 to distill spirits for personal consumption, not for selling without a license. |
| 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. | Registration and a permit are required to own, operate, or have a still in one's possession. Producing distilled spirits at home is limited "for own use" only and products may not be sold, or used for bartering.
As of 2010 "agricultural distilling" permits are no longer available. Commercial operations require a micro-manufacturing license (for quantities up to 2 million liters of spirits per year), and various other permits are required. For larger quantities, a full manufacturing license and various permits are required. |
| 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. | Legal only with a license. |
| Hong Kong | Legal without a license within limits. | |
| 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. | Illegal. |
| Malaysia | Illegal. | Illegal. |
| Iran | Illegal | Illegal. |
| India | Illegal. | Illegal. |
| Eritrea | legal. | Suwa. |
| Ethiopia | legal. | Tella. |
| Sudan | legal. | Suwa. |
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