Hi
Well, I've got to 65 and TLR is coming up 60.

For years (I really mean decades) we have holiday'd in France and have now decided to sell up our self sufficient organic Smallholding in Sunny Devon and toddle off to the Dordogne.

Despite our really healthy lifestyle here the onslaught of arthritis, joint replacements (plural) and both of having suffered cancer some years back, means there are only so many sacks of animal feed, bales of hay and straw, bags of compost we can lift.

Time for longer summers and shorter winters.

Our favoured area is just a few km south of Bergerac near places like Castillones, Villarreal, Issigeac etc, so if we have any potential neighbours just flag it up.

We love to be self sufficient in growing food, brewing beers, ciders and wines, beekeeping, preserving and so on. TLR is an excellent seamstress and I love to weld, wood turn and grow tomatoes, grapes, blueberries etc etc.

Will you have a spare room?

All the best with your plans and welcome to the forum

Thank you.

It just occured to me that I might be taking one or two things for granted.

Having read my post I began to wonder what the 'Home Brewing' rules are in France....can we can't we????

I did have a google and found that any clear info is pretty sparse so I then wondered....surely there must be some ex-pats on this forum who have looked into this/gone to prison/run illicit stills etc etc. who could lend some first hand advice.

And yes there will be a spare room :-)

People will come and help you drink that beer ! NOT me, I am TT !

No but I have drunk probably-illicit stuff brewed by others which seems to me the best way to get involved in all this. And I don't think anyone went to prison.

I don't think there is a big home-brew beer culture here and with wine at 1,99€ for a bottle of drinkable I doubt too many people do that either, but think calvados, ratafia, cidre fermier and wicked concoctions based on alcool de fruit

Can't help with the rules re home-made booze, but if you start selling it, and any other produce, you must set up the relevant business structure and license in order to be legal.

Home brewing appears to be legal based on this Faites de la bière

Hello and welcome to the OP.

Dmu is right ; it is allowed to brew beer however it is not possible to sell it without legal authorisation.

Rules are not the same for other alcoholic beverages.

or Novo even

We're ALL right on this forum!
I only mentioned the sale of produce, as there must be physical limits to the quantities consumed at home!

Yes but Novo is always right, he's from Newcastle after all

I think there is a 5 litre limit for someone's own consumption when they produce Calvados or other strong drinks but not too sure about this.. Err 5 litres per year of course.

AFAIK you can brew your own beers, wines and ciders etc. as much as you like. However, for spirits such as Calvados, you need a licence. Having said that, there is a mobile still in this area for the distillation of Calvados which seems to get around the problem, i.e. the Calvados is made from your apples, but the licence is with the distiller.

Surely 5 litres would just be the test run to clean the pipes!

Whey, canny lass, ta pet.

France & bust.
Two things very close to my heart.....