Dear readers,
This may be an unusual question, but maybe someone can help me?
When I lived in the Netherlands, I was a hobbyist brewer for years. A comment from a friend here inspired me to explore the possibilities of picking it up again. Apparently, the materials aren't a problem, as almost everything you need is available online.
However, when I shared my intentions with my Thai friend, she was less than enthusiastic. According to her, it's illegal in Thailand.
So my question is, is this correct if I'm brewing the beer purely for my own use at home? Just to be clear, the beer I brew myself isn't for sale or use elsewhere.
Regards,
James
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Giacomo, a link: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/illegal-homebrewed-beers-thailand
If the government finds out (say you're being reported...) and they assume you're 'working', it could/will cost you your visa or extension.
Fun hobby, I also brewed my own beer at home in the Netherlands, so I'm following along. I'd love to do it again in Thailand.
On June 5, 2025, a change to the law was published in the Government Gazette, stating that brewing distilled beverages is now permitted in small quantities, provided one holds a permit. The law refers to "สุรา" (soe-raa), which is usually translated as "liquor." But what is its legal definition? Google led me to a Thai website that says it's legally defined as "a beverage with an alcohol content of 0,5 degrees to 80 degrees" (0.5 ดีกรี แต่ไม่เกิน 80 ดีกรี) and that this includes "sake and rice wine," but not "beer."
So I'd definitely check the law, but the answer seems to be "that's allowed, provided you have a permit." Search for these terms:
– พระราชบัญญัติภาษีสรรพสามิต 2568 (Excise Act 2568)
– พระราชบัญญัติสุราชุมชน (Community Liquor Act or Community Alcoholic Beverage Act).
But as is often the case, there can be a difference between what's legal and what's actually happening. Distilling (spirited) liquor at home isn't new. But neighbors or "friends" who snitch aren't new either, so...
The legalization of homebrewing for personal use in Thailand is regulated by Ministerial Regulation on the Production of Liquor BE 2022 (2565). This regulation, which came into effect on November 2, 2022, officially distinguishes for the first time between the production of alcohol for commercial and non-commercial purposes. This was a significant amendment to the existing legislation, the Liquor Act BE 2493 (1950), which previously completely prohibited homebrewing.
The Ministerial Regulation of 2022 allows the production of alcohol for non-commercial purposes (i.e. home brewing), but the hobby brewer is required to have a permit.
These are the conditions:
1- You must be at least 20 years old.
2- In possession of a home brewing license from the Excise Department (กรมสรรพสามิต) of the Ministry of Finance: https://www.excise.go.th/excise2017/index.htm
2- Production is limited to a maximum of 200 liters per year for personal use.
3- The beer is for personal use only.
4- You may not sell the beer or exchange it for other benefits.
5. You must comply with the established safety and environmental standards. Your brewing area must not cause any nuisance.
And now, as a foreigner, you still need to obtain that permit for home brewing, of course 🙂
Homebrewing for personal use has been possible in Thailand for a few years now, so definitely don't sell beer, because that would be something else entirely. There was even a homebrewing championship in Bangkok a few weeks ago. Enjoy!
No beer, but a boat:
Someone built a small wooden boat, as a hobby, for his own use.
Got reported, was seen as working without a permit.
Moreover, he took away a Thai's job, because he could have bought a boat.
Yes, I know another example for the faint of heart and the faint of heart: someone opens the door because someone rings the doorbell, and suddenly they're sued because they're taking the place of a Thai doorman. Another example: someone cooks an egg at home, and suddenly they're reported by the neighbors because they're cooking and taking the place of a Thai chef. Perhaps it's better if the faint of heart don't bother the other 35 million annual visitors and hundreds of thousands of permanent foreign residents in Thailand with this kind of nonsense. Everyone knows and understands what it means to work or to work for yourself on a hobby or household chore without pay. Only when someone with a real person and name arrives and tells you that they've actually been sued and deported because, for example, they were watering their flowers at home (gardening), and these kinds of incidents happen regularly (!!!), then you can do something with it. Otherwise, as a level-headed person, don't bother me with your obsessive, compulsive fear-mongering, which isn't based on actual Thai practice.
A strange reaction from Ger-Korat, who, if I recall correctly, still works for a foreign company. No doubt with a work permit?
Just scour the internet for Thailand and work permits, and you'll stumble across legal advice warning you of the consequences. These sites aren't just there for a living!
So, calling us obsessive (living with an intense, difficult-to-control thought or impulse) or compulsive (reacting repetitively and compulsively), or even mildly mentally disturbed, doesn't fit this blog. That's not how we treat each other here, Ger-Korat!
This is a serious question that's been answered seriously, and your hurtful comment is absolutely out of place! Not to mention the question of whether an immigration officer has ever attacked someone for going out and having a good time...
"Working not allowed" is written in all my retirement stamps. The fact that the term "working" is barely defined calls for caution if your residency depends on that stamp. In that sense, I consider all the warnings in this item appropriate.
In Thailand, there are Dutch people who think they know better. To demonstrate this, they fill comment boxes with text that supposedly demonstrates their "knowledge." I've often posted a warning for messages like: "I help my wife in her restaurant by washing dishes and clearing tables," or "I help my wife in her store by unloading the pickup truck full of Makro purchases and storing the items inside," and recently a final one: "I walk the dogs of people on vacation in exchange for looking after and living in their house."
No big deal, some know-it-alls say. Until... You rarely hear from those who made the mistake, and never from the know-it-alls that Immigration drove by. They just assume it. In Thailand, forewarned is forearmed. At least on a zebra crossing, but also when brewing beer (apply for a permit first), as well as painting the exterior of a house and wall.
I don't find Ger's reaction strange at all.
The Internet is full of fabricated stories, including a lot of fear mongering.
I don't see anything hurtful in his response. You're essentially dramatizing the whole story.
You said it yourself: “work is hardly defined”… so let the foreigner mow his lawn or give his walls a fresh lick of paint.
Well spotted Bertrand: Ger-Korat also came up with a nice story.
He'd like practical cases. Well, Ger-Korat, I've provided them.
Yes, dear Erik, I'm grounded and would like to offer some counterarguments instead of scaremongering, where people cite examples like the sister of the cousin of the neighbor next door has a boyfriend... Then give some real examples of deportations because someone was massaging their wife at home and thus took the place of a Thai masseuse. Or the foreign English teacher who corrected the shop assistant on how to say "Thank you" at checkout and was promptly detained by Thai Immigration for working in the store without a work permit. Surely I can write my piece about Thailand too; I think many will agree with me and aren't afraid of Thai Immigration because of positive experiences during years of living and/or visiting Thailand.
Bizarre, Ger-Korat: “obsessive fear-mongering”.
What I have stated above is true.
Your examples are of a completely different and bizarre order… not comparable.
Exactly Kees, it happened!
I hear a lot of these amazing stories, but I have serious doubts about them. I've long since stopped believing what's being trumpeted.
And someone who builds his own boat, well... I would also consider that an illegal activity, knowing that a foreigner is not allowed to work here.
Where exactly you draw the line between what's acceptable and what's not is debatable. But as soon as a Farang is involved, even assembling an Ikea cabinet quickly becomes considered "work."
My wife has a permit to distill Lao Khao. My in-laws have been distilling for years, but the permit has been in my wife's name for the past two years. Every time Lao Khao is distilled, it has to be reported (officially, anyway). Coincidentally, I went to Khemmarat today to report the number of liters distilled, paid tax on that (you get tax stamps that you have to stick on every bottle you officially sell), and also had to hand over one 2-liter bottle, which is tested for alcohol content and impurities. I have my doubts about this because you never see the official results. They do test with an alcohol meter there, but then again, they do that at home as well. I had already read about this on the forum and asked there and then if I was allowed to brew beer at home for my own use. They heard it in Cologne, I might as well tell them I'm an alien! After discussing it and making a few phone calls, I was told it wasn't allowed. When I kindly indicated that a website would follow (
https://thelegal.co.th) and, following the Ministerial Decree (Ministerial Regulation on the Production of Liquor BE 2565), which indicates it is permitted, they again sought proof, and it became a matter of whether or not it's allowed. I imagine it will take quite a while before this trickles down to the countryside. I was politely told I shouldn't do this yet to avoid problems. I didn't press the issue further and simply said I'd heard it might be possible, but jokingly said that as long as Singha is available, I wouldn't risk it.
A few more cases:
– A police officer sits down at a bar and at one point asks for a business card.
Farang owner gives him that… work!!! –> fine.
– The late Rinus got a beer from the fridge for a customer. A plainclothes police officer watched him for hours –> fined!
– Restaurant owner moved a painting from one wall to another – arrested, spent a day in jail and received a fine (here too, an officer had been watching for half a day).
– About 8 years ago: Immigration went to check at Makro (Pattaya).
Foreigners with a business who went there to do their shopping with a Thai partner.
If the foreigner (without a work permit) turned out to be driving when leaving and the car was loaded with so much stuff that the foreigner could hardly claim it was only for their own household, this was considered work –> a fine!
Examples like these that you cite really undermine your credibility, Kees.
All those tall tales are circulating everywhere. I'll leave it up to you to decide how much truth there is in them, but I'll share my thoughts on the matter.
They certainly can't scare me with such nonsense. I do all the odd jobs around the house myself. An immigration officer has no business with that. And I sometimes read about what's being sold here on our forum, but it doesn't bother me.
Following the response from FransJ and Ronny Phang Khen, my Thai friend picked up the phone and contacted the Ministry of Excise.
In Nam Phong, she was initially told it wasn't permitted and therefore illegal. But ultimately, the official likely wasn't sure either and referred her to the district office in Khon Kaen.
It turned out it is indeed possible, provided you apply for a permit. The beer permit costs THB 360. However, the procedure is so cumbersome that I'm already out of luck!
Because you have to submit all kinds of documents, a floor plan of the house, a map with the coordinates, an extract from the land registry, a copy of the deed of ownership of the plot, etc. etc.
And finally, an official even comes by to inspect the brewing room.
Completely in line with the slogan of the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration, but with a Thai bureaucracy sauce: "We can't make it more fun, but we can make it more difficult."
And all that for a fun hobby…..
Actually, I think this is a good thing.
Alcoholism is a huge problem in Thailand. Just imagine if everyone started distilling alcohol at random. I can only applaud the fact that this is indirectly discouraged by the sheer amount of paperwork involved.
This clearly answers your own question from this topic. No moonshine conditions in Thailand!
For the record, I'm talking about brewing beer here, not distillates like Thai whisky. Furthermore, alcoholism is commonplace in Thailand, while homebrewing/distilling has only recently been legalized.
I limit myself to the readers of this topic being able to decide for themselves whether the question has been answered or not.
Thanks for the feedback, so it might be possible with a permit, as I indicated in black and white, and as I myself assumed. It doesn't surprise me that they didn't know this in a small district like Namphong. It's a shame there's so much hassle involved in obtaining a permit.
I visit Namphong every year, but there's no legal homemade craft beer available. I haven't found any particularly impressive Thai craft beers (lager, wit, weiss) in the supermarket yet. Who knows how that will develop in the coming years; the legal small-scale production of alcohol for private or commercial use is still very new. Perhaps the permit requirements will be relaxed once people become more familiar with them, and the big brewers lose more political influence.
In Nam Phong the selection of specialty beers is practically zero indeed.
Khon Kaen has a lot more to offer in that regard, especially at Tops in Central Plaza.
Here's some more offerings, both Thai and from Europe and the United States of Trump.
Lotus and Big C also still have some craft beer available. Although, I've noticed, the selection has been shrinking lately. This is likely due to low sales, as some 500ml Thai craft beers cost almost THB 200. You could buy almost 4 Chang (620ml) for that price here.
What I would like to mention is that Thai craft beers are generally definitely worth trying.
Of the major supermarkets, Tops does indeed have the largest selection of foreign and Thai craft and specialty beers. Lotus's (KKC) had a decent selection. Big C's wasn't anything to write home about.
Tops in Khon Kaen naturally has a smaller selection than the one in BKK. Although that also varies from branch to branch within BKK. Interestingly, Tops in Udon Thani had a larger selection of craft beers than Khon Kaen (as I observed in March 25). Or at least, some of the beers I saw at Tops in BKK weren't available at KCC but were available in Udon Thani. So, being further away from the main city doesn't necessarily mean the selection is worse.
Anyone looking for something different than a Chang, Leo, or Singha? I've also come across Karabao beer at various supermarkets (including Tops, CJ More / ซีเจมอร์), along with a German lager. I'm going back to BKK and KCC early next year; I'm curious to see what the craft beers will be like then. They are indeed quite expensive for a Thai with an average job, so I can't say whether the selection will improve or deteriorate.
Hi Rob,
Do you still have/work at a petrochemical company in Elsloo?
Then perhaps we know each other as former colleagues?
Unfortunately Giacomo, I am not in that industry and I am not from the Elsloo region.