A webshop can be one of the best things a brewery or pub ever does. It sells beer while you sleep, reaches people who'll never make it to the taproom, and turns one-off visitors into beer club regulars.
It also comes with rules that a T-shirt shop doesn't have to worry about. Here's what your webshop needs to sell beer properly, legally and without a stack of smashed bottles.
Quick note: we build websites, we're not licensing lawyers. This is a practical overview, not legal advice. Always check the specifics with your local licensing authority or a licensing solicitor.
1. The right licence
In England and Wales, selling alcohol to the public is covered by the Licensing Act 2003. If you're selling for consumption off the premises, which includes online orders, you'll need:
- A premises licence that permits off-sales. Check it doesn't have conditions that restrict online sales or delivery.
- A Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) named on the licence, who holds a personal licence.
A detail that catches people out: the licence applies to where the alcohol is stored, picked, packed and dispatched, not where the order is taken. If you move dispatch to a separate unit or warehouse, that place may need its own licence.
Selling trade-to-trade (wholesale to pubs and bottle shops) is treated differently, but anything going to the public needs to be covered.
Scotland has its own licensing regime, a mandatory age verification policy, and minimum unit pricing that applies to alcohol sold into Scotland. If you ship there, check the rules separately.
2. Age verification that actually works
Selling alcohol to under-18s is illegal, and having a robust age verification policy is a mandatory licence condition. Online, that means checking at two points.
At checkout
- An age confirmation step before purchase (a date-of-birth field or a clear declaration, not just a pop-up that says "Are you 18? Yes/No").
- A Challenge 25 policy clearly shown on your website.
- Ideally, an age verification service that checks customers' details in the background. Some are available as Shopify apps or WooCommerce plugins.
On delivery
- Your own drivers should ask for photo ID from anyone who looks under 25.
- If you use a courier, check they offer an age-verified delivery service, and that their staff are trained. The licence holder is still responsible, even when someone else delivers.
Keep records
Log sales, age declarations, deliveries and refused deliveries, and keep training records. If there's ever a problem, these show you've done things properly.
3. Shipping glass without heartbreak
Beer is heavy, fragile and liquid. Not ideal.
- Check courier rules first. Policies on alcohol vary between couriers and services. Some need you to have a business account or use a specific service.
- Use proper packaging. Dedicated bottle and can boxes with dividers or moulded inserts are worth every penny. Double-walled cardboard, nothing rattling, nothing touching.
- Cans travel better. If you package in both, it's worth thinking about which formats you offer for delivery.
- Set delivery zones. Many breweries offer local delivery by their own van (with ID checks) and national delivery by courier. Your webshop should handle both, with different prices and rules.
- Be clear about delivery times. Especially around Christmas and Father's Day.
4. Mixed cases and bundles
"Pick any 12" is a brewery classic and one of the best-selling things you can offer. It's also fiddlier to build than it looks.
Your webshop should:
- Let customers build a case easily on a phone.
- Show what's in stock and hide what isn't.
- Handle case sizes (6, 12, 24) and price breaks.
- Make it easy to reorder.
Shopify and WooCommerce both have tools for this. Test them properly before you choose.
5. Subscriptions and beer clubs
A monthly beer club is recurring revenue and a ready-made community. You'll need:
- Recurring payments that just work.
- Easy skip, pause and cancel options (customers trust you more when leaving is easy).
- A way to send different beers each month without manual juggling.
- Member perks like discounts in the taproom, early access to releases and event invites.
6. The legal pages
As well as your licensing details, your shop should clearly show:
- Delivery and returns policies (including what happens with breakages)
- Terms and conditions
- Privacy and cookie policies
- Your Challenge 25 / age policy
- Your company details
7. Product pages that sell
The basics people want before they buy:
- Style, ABV and pack size
- Tasting notes in normal language
- Allergens (gluten, lactose, etc.) and whether it's vegan
- Proper photos of the can or bottle
- Reviews if you have them
8. Which platform?
Both Shopify and WordPress with WooCommerce can do all of the above. Shopify is usually quicker to set up for a shop-first brewery. WooCommerce gives more flexibility if the shop sits alongside lots of content. We've compared them properly in Shopify vs WordPress for breweries.
Whichever you choose, the platform won't make you legal on its own. It's how you set it up that counts.
Webshop checklist
- Premises licence covers off-sales and online/delivery
- Dispatch location covered by the licence
- DPS named and personal licence in date
- Age confirmation at checkout
- Challenge 25 policy on the website
- Age-verified delivery (own drivers and courier)
- Sales, delivery and refusal records kept
- Courier rules for alcohol confirmed
- Proper bottle/can packaging
- Delivery zones and pricing set
- Mixed case builder tested on mobile
- Allergens and ABV on every product
- Legal pages in place
- Scotland rules checked if shipping there
Want it built right?
We build webshops for breweries, taprooms and pubs on Shopify, WooCommerce and headless, with age verification, mixed cases and beer clubs set up properly from day one. Start with a free chat. The first pint's on us.