Legal aspect of home brewing (valid in Germany):

Hobby brewers who produce beer in their own residence for personal consumption may produce up to 200 l beer per year, tax-free. This beer may not be sold. Hobby brewers must provide the chief customs office responsible with notification prior to starting the first brewing procedure. The following is stipulated in the Ordinance on the Implementation of the German Beer Tax Law (BierStV):

§ 2 – Production by home and hobby brewers

(1) Beer produced by home and hobby brewers in their own residences exclusively for own consumption and that is not sold is exempt from tax up to a quantity of 2 hectolitres per calendar year. Beer produced by home brewers in non-commercial communal breweries shall be deemed to have been produced in the residences of the home brewers.

(2) Home and hobby brewers are obliged to notify the chief customs office of the start of production and the production location in advance. The notification must indicate the planned quantity of beer to be produced in a calendar year. The chief customs office may grant concessions.

You can find the customs office responsible in terms of notification of your first brewing procedure at www.zoll-d.de. The customs office can be notified by fax or by letter as follows, for example: