TOPIC:

Hello,

I am a bee keeper in the wicklow area who has been making mead for awhile. I have teemed up with a local farmer and next year I could potentially ramp up production significantly. I was wondering what the legal requirements are for setting up a meadery in Ireland. Is is the same for a brewery? My meads vary from about 10 to 15 %.....(they are essentially a fermented wine)

I am guessing that I would have similar requirements to a craft brewery? However, I am also essentially a farmer as I farm honey from the bees? Can anybody point me in the correct direction or who do I call to find out more?

Apologies for the mead type question on your craft brew site but I can't find anything anywhere on the web.

Help much appreciated

Egorski

Sounds like a great idea, and I'd love to see Irish mead commercially available. I doubt that it's a brewer's licence you need, though. The people to ask are your local Revenue office, and I'd say it will be a head-scratcher for them too.

As far as I know, mead is a "made wine" under the law, which is regulated differently to beer, cider, spirits and wine.

"TheBeerNut":p8tbtbql wrote: Sounds like a great idea, and I'd love to see Irish mead commercially available. I doubt that it's a brewer's licence you need, though. The people to ask are your local Revenue office, and I'd say it will be a head-scratcher for them too.

As far as I know, mead is a "made wine" under the law, which is regulated differently to beer, cider, spirits and wine.[/quote:p8tbtbql]

maybe worth asking what kind of licence bunratty operates under?

Could be. They don't do any fermentation though, so probably just a wholesale one.

Mmmmmm mead <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

Thanks for the replys!

I checked out some of the links in previous posts.

I understand that craft brewers have a manufacuting/excise license. However, the link....... <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="www.revenue.ie/en/tax/excise/excise-lice...turers-licences.html">www.revenue.ie/en/tax/excise/exc ... ences.html
....does not make any reference to mead.

Hmmmmmm. Maybe a loop hole?

I have been approached by a distributor for a wine shop to sell my honey in a number of shops in Dublin. Haven't taken him up on this yet, or told him about the mead but will likely sell him honey next to get started. (I was bartering jars of honey with him for wine and he was impressed enough with the honey) Would I be considered wholesale if I sell mead directly to him.....and do I have to pay excise on bottles of mead I sell him in this situation?

I am also intrigued as to whether there is a farmers market angle as a primary producer.....

Thanks in advance

Egorski

Fermenting: Ginger Methlyglyn
Conditioning: Cyser
Bottling: Raspberry Melomel