Public Act 0055 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HB0630 Enrolled LRB098 03452 MGM 33467 b

Public Act 098-0055

AN ACT concerning liquor.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Liquor Control Act of 1934 is amended by changing Section 5-3 and by adding Sections 1-3.39 and 6-36 as follows:

(235 ILCS 5/1-3.39 new)

Sec. 1-3.39. Homemade brewed beverage. "Homemade brewed beverage" means beer or any other beverage obtained by the alcoholic fermentation of an infusion or concoction of grains, sugars, or both in water and includes, but is not limited to, beer, mead, and cider made by a person 21 years of age or older, through his or her own efforts, fermented at his or her place of residence, fermented at another place of residence of a homemade brewed beverage brewer, or fermented at a premises of a commercial enterprise that is engaged primarily in selling supplies and equipment for use by home brewers and not for a commercial purpose but for consumption by that person or his or her family, neighbors, guests, and friends or for use at an exhibition, demonstration, judging, tasting, or sampling with sampling sizes as authorized by Section 6-31 of this Act or as part of a contest or competition authorized by Section 6-36 of this Act.

(235 ILCS 5/5-3) (from Ch. 43, par. 118)

Sec. 5-3. License fees. Except as otherwise provided herein, at the time application is made to the State Commission for a license of any class, the applicant shall pay to the State Commission the fee hereinafter provided for the kind of license applied for.

The fee for licenses issued by the State Commission shall be as follows:

For a manufacturer's license:

Fees collected under this Section shall be paid into the Dram Shop Fund. On and after July 1, 2003, of the funds received for a retailer's license, in addition to the first $175, an additional $75 shall be paid into the Dram Shop Fund, and $250 shall be paid into the General Revenue Fund. Beginning June 30, 1990 and on June 30 of each subsequent year through June 29, 2003, any balance over $5,000,000 remaining in the Dram Shop Fund shall be credited to State liquor licensees and applied against their fees for State liquor licenses for the following year. The amount credited to each licensee shall be a proportion of the balance in the Dram Fund that is the same as the proportion of the license fee paid by the licensee under this Section for the period in which the balance was accumulated to the aggregate fees paid by all licensees during that period.

No fee shall be paid for licenses issued by the State Commission to the following non-beverage users:

(a) Hospitals, sanitariums, or clinics when their use of alcoholic liquor is exclusively medicinal, mechanical or scientific.

(b) Universities, colleges of learning or schools when their use of alcoholic liquor is exclusively medicinal, mechanical or scientific.

(c) Laboratories when their use is exclusively for the purpose of scientific research.

(Source: P.A. 96-1367, eff. 7-28-10; 97-5, eff. 6-1-11.)

(235 ILCS 5/6-36 new)

Sec. 6-36. Homemade brewed beverages.

(a) No license or permit is required under this Act for the making of homemade brewed beverages or for the possession, transportation, or storage of homemade brewed beverages by any person 21 years of age or older, if all of the following apply:

(1) the person who makes the homemade brewed beverages receives no compensation;

(2) the homemade brewed beverages is not sold or offered for sale; and

(3) the total quantity of homemade brewed beverages made, in a calendar year, by the person does not exceed 100 gallons if the household has only one person 21 years of age or older or 200 gallons if the household has 2 or more persons 21 years of age or older.

(b) A person who makes, possesses, transports, or stores homemade brewed beverages in compliance with the limitations specified in subsection (a) is not a brewer, craft brewer, wholesaler, retailer, or a manufacturer of beer for the purposes of this Act.

(c) Homemade brewed beverages made in compliance with the limitations specified in subsection (a) may be consumed by the person who made it and his or her family, neighbors, and friends at any private residence or other private location where the possession and consumption of alcohol is permissible under this Act, local ordinances, and other applicable law, provided that the homemade brewed beverages are not made available for consumption by the general public.

(d) Homemade brewed beverages made in compliance with the limitations specified in subsection (a) may be used for purposes of a public exhibition, demonstration, tasting, or sampling with sampling sizes as authorized by Section 6-31, if the event is held at a private residence or at a location other than a retail licensed premises. If the public event is not held at a private residence, the event organizer shall obtain a homebrewer special event permit for each location, and is subject to the provisions in subsection (a) of Section 6-21. Homemade brewed beverages used for purposes described in this subsection (d), including the submission or consumption of the homemade brewed beverages, are not considered sold or offered for sale under this Act. A public exhibition, demonstration, tasting, or sampling with sampling sizes as authorized by Section 6-31 held by a licensee on a location other than a retail licensed premises may require an admission charge to the event, but no separate or additional fee may be charged for the consumption of a person's homemade brewed beverages at the public exhibition, demonstration, tasting, or sampling with sampling sizes as authorized by Section 6-31. Event admission charges that are collected may be partially used to provide prizes to makers of homemade brewed beverages, but the admission charges may not be divided in any fashion among the makers of the homemade brewed beverages who participate in the event. Homemade brewed beverages used for purposes described in this subsection (d) are not considered sold or offered for sale under this Act if a maker of homemade brewed beverages receives free event admission or discounted event admission in return for the maker's donation of the homemade brewed beverages to an event specified in this subsection (d) that collects event admission charges; free admission or discounted admission to the event is not considered compensation under this Act. No admission fee and no charge for the consumption of a person's homemade brewed beverage may be collected if the public exhibition, demonstration, tasting, sampling with sampling sizes as authorized by Section 6-31 is held at a private residence.

(e) A person who is not a licensee under this Act may at a private residence, and a person who is a licensee under this Act may on the licensed premises, conduct, sponsor, or host a contest, competition, or other event for the exhibition, demonstration, judging, tasting, or sampling of homemade brewed beverages made in compliance with the limitations specified in subsection (a), if the person does not sell the homemade brewed beverages and, unless the person is the brewer of the homemade brewed beverages, does not acquire any ownership interest in the homemade brewed beverages. If the contest, competition, exhibition, demonstration, or judging is not held at a private residence, the consumption of the homemade brewed beverages is limited to qualified judges and stewards as defined by a national or international beer judging program, who are identified by the event organizer in advance of the contest, competition, exhibition, demonstration, or judging. Homemade brewed beverages used for the purposes described in this subsection (e), including the submission or consumption of the homemade brewed beverages, are not considered sold or offered for sale under this Act and any prize awarded at a contest or competition or as a result of an exhibition, demonstration, or judging is not considered compensation under this Act. An exhibition, demonstration, judging, contest, or competition held by a licensee on a licensed premises may require an admission charge to the event, but no separate or additional fee may be charged for the consumption of a person's homemade brewed beverage at the exhibition, demonstration, judging, contest, or competition. A portion of event admission charges that are collected may be used to provide prizes to makers of homemade brewed beverages, but the admission charges may not be divided in any fashion among the makers of the homemade brewed beverages who participate in the event. Homemade brewed beverages used for purposes described in this subsection (e) are not considered sold or offered for sale under this Act if a maker of homemade brewed beverages receives free event admission or discounted event admission in return for the maker's donation of the homemade brewed beverages to an event specified in this subsection (e) that collects event admission charges; free admission or discounted admission to the event is not considered compensation under this Act. No admission fee and no charge for the consumption of a person's homemade brewed beverage may be charged if the exhibition, demonstration, judging, contest, or competition is held at a private residence. The fact that a person is acting in a manner authorized by this Section is not, by itself, sufficient to constitute a public nuisance under Section 10-7 of this Act. If the contest, competition, or other event is held on licensed premises, the licensee may allow the homemade brewed beverages to be stored on the premises if the homemade brewed beverages are clearly identified, kept separate from any alcohol beverages owned by the licensee. If the contest, competition, or other event is held on licensed premises, other provisions of this Act not inconsistent with this Section apply.

(f) A commercial enterprise engaged primarily in selling supplies and equipment to the public for use by homebrewers may manufacture homemade brewed beverages for the purpose of tasting the homemade brewed beverages at the location of the commercial enterprise, provided that the homemade brewed beverages are not sold or offered for sale. Homemade brewed beverages provided at a commercial enterprise for tasting under this subsection (f) shall be in compliance with Sections 6-16, 6-21, and 6-31 of this Act. A commercial enterprise engaged solely in selling supplies and equipment for use by homebrewers shall not be required to secure a license under this Act, however, such commercial enterprise shall secure liquor liability insurance coverage in an amount at least equal to the maximum liability amounts set forth in subsection (a) of Section 6-21 of this Act.

(g) Homemade brewed beverages are not subject to Section 8-1 of this Act.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.