23 - Smal Beer Manufacturer Liquor License.

Authorizes the production and sale of beer by breweries which produce fewer than 60,000 barrels per year. The privileges and limitations for this type of license are the same as for other beer manufacturers. The only difference is the license fees (see also Type 01 – Beer Manufacturer). This license formerly related only to Steam beer. “Steam” beer is made by fermentation at cellar temperature rather than near freezing as is the case with other beers. It is made using only one type of malt–malted barley. It contains no corn, rice or other cereal grains as regular beers normally do. The method of carbonation is entirely natural and involves a process known as Krausening. This process requires taking beer which has been completely fermented and adding to it beer which is still fermenting. This causes a second fermentation to occur. The Krausening process in beer corresponds closely to the “bulk process” in making some types of sparkling wines. The most common users of this license are operators of micro-breweries and brewpubs. These designations are not to be construed as legal definitions. Their use below is only for descriptive purposes.

“Micro-brewery“: A small-scale brewery operation that generally produces approximately 15,000 barrels a year. Its beer products are primarily intended for local and/or regional consumption. Typically, these operations are solely dedicated to the production of specialty beers, although some do have a restaurant or pub on their manufacturing plant.

“Brewpub“: Typically, a very small brewery with a restaurant where the beer it produces is sold in draft form exclusively at its own premises. This operation often sells other supplier’s bottled beer, including other hand-crafted or micro-brewed beers as well as wine to patrons for consumption on its premises. See “Special Note” below.

Special Note: A brewpub-restaurant (Type 75) license, authorized under BPC § 23396.3, has a limited brewing privilege and may sometimes be referred to as “brewpub.” However, the Type 75 is an on-sale retail license with significant differences/limitations in license privileges from those of a true “beer manufacturer” (either Type 01 or Type 23).

This license type is subject to Responsible Beverage Service (RBS) requirements and requires alcohol servers and managers of alcohol servers to be RBS certified.