(a) No person shall be licensed in more than one capacity under the terms of this article, and there shall be no connection whatsoever between any retailer, distributor, resident brewer or brewer, and no person shall be interested, directly or indirectly, through the ownership of corporate stock, membership in a partnership, or in any other way in the business of a retailer, if such person is at the same time interested in the business of a brewer, resident brewer or distributor. A resident brewer may act as distributor in a limited capacity for his or her own product from such resident brewery, place of manufacture or bottling, but a resident brewer is not permitted to act as a distributor as defined in section three of this article: Provided, That nothing in this article may prevent a resident brewer from using the services of licensed distributors as specified in this article. A resident brewer or distributor may sell to a patron for personal use and not for resale quantities of draught beer in original containers that are no larger in size than one-half barrel for off-premises consumption. A resident brewer who also has a brewpub license may sell nonintoxicating beer or nonintoxicating craft beer produced by the resident brewer in cans, bottles or sealed growlers, pursuant to section six-b of this article, for personal consumption off of the brewpub's licensed premises and not for resale.

(b) It is unlawful for any brewer, resident brewer, manufacturer or distributor to assist any retailer or for any retailer to accept assistance from any brewer, manufacturer or distributor, accept any gifts, loans, forebearance of money or property of any kind, nature or description, or other thing of value, or give any rebates or discounts of any kind whatsoever, except as may be permitted by rule, regulation or order promulgated by the commissioner in accordance with this article.

(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of this section, a brewpub may offer for retail sale nonintoxicating beer or nonintoxicating craft beer so long as the sale of the nonintoxicating beer or nonintoxicating craft beer is limited to the brewpub's licensed premises, except as provided in section six-b of this article.