Sometimes the only way to make progress is sheer audacity backed with pragmatism... other times small incremental change.
I think the major issue here is that you DO NOT want to risk bumping up against the profits of NBLC. If you can pitch this as being
complementary to NBLC, then I reckon you're golden. "improving the image of the art and science of local craft brewing", or something like that.
I get the feeling it might be worth getting Picaroons in on this one. Didn't someone say they knew a guy?
The rules are (supposedly) put in place to ensure the
quality of the product being produced for public consumption. I suspect you could make some argument here wrt ABV -- "dangerous" liquor is generally anything involving a still. Perhaps a cap on ABV might suffice to allay those fears... which I'm pretty sure will already be a part of the law for homebrewing, anyway. That plus the fact that no pathogens may grow in beer (citation needed), really makes the consumption of another's homebrew safer than crossing the street.
HOWEVER -- anything
public is open to all kinds of restrictions -- you would effectively be getting a temporary version of the liquor license that bars etc have. This is an unholy mess of liability, procedure, and who knows what else (I repeat again that my grasp of legalese is tenuous at best).
Your idea regarding small-portions could be enough to counteract that, mind. We would still be in a whole world of liability, which is generally speaking something to avoid in any situation where possible
I think that right now, just gunning for the right to transport + gift a certain quantity of home-brewed liquor, below a certain ABV, AS AN INDIVIDUAL, would be the best course of action.
On a side note -- Noble Grape held some public tastings with that Tim Vandergrift wine-guy, for which you had to pay for the ticket. How they achieved that legally would be worth investigating before wading in demanding the right to allow public anything. I suspect there is already a licensing route, and I suspect it's a lot more than $100...
Enough havering for now.