Texas Craft Brewery Bill/Law

[BARBQ]

I hate to get all serious here but if you ever want to buy and drink a beer at a craft brewery in Texas you better write your congressman QUICK! This bill is gonna DIE if we dont get some people buggin these representatives. An email is fine, but a letter is better. Please write a letter or email one of these listed reps if you live in Texas. HB602 is looking good but this is a backass bill more for the bigger breweries over 75,000 BBL a year. With this one you cant even technically buy a beer at a brewery and drink it even with this one. There is also a HB660 bill for brew pubs, but this one will be a hard one to pass this time around because of the distribution companies. I know Texas is in the dark ages with alchohol laws. Please SUPPORT HOUSE BILL 2436!

"HB 2436/SB 1575 would allow small Texas breweries (under 75,000 bbl of production) to sell the beer/ale that they brew to the ultimate consumer for off-premises or on-premises consumption. It would extend to small breweries the privilege of operating a pub with the same rights and responsibilities as a holder of a wine and beer retailer’s permit but with regard to their own products only. Packaged beer and ale, produced at the brewery, could also be sold for off-premises consumption.

With this allowance microbreweries would NOT be able to purchase other alcoholic beverages for resale, as may actual holders of the wine and beer retailer’s permit. They would also not be able to ship beer by common carrier to the ultimate consumer. All sales would be over the counter, face to face."

HOW TO HELP – CALL/FAX/EMAIL SUPPORT TO THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

epresentative Mike Hamilton (chairman)
phone number (512) 463-0412
fax number (512) 463-1915
Website http://bit.ly/h6ObWp

Representative Chente Quintanilla (vice chairman)
phone number (512) 463-0613
fax number (512) 463-1237
Website http://bit.ly/eFSJYX

Representative Joe Driver
phone number (512) 463-0574
fax number (512) 463-1481
Website http://bit.ly/hzRnKP

Representative Charlie Geren
phone number (512) 463-0610
fax number (512) 463-8310
Website http://bit.ly/hHLk1w

Representative Roland Gutierrez
phone number (512) 463-0452
fax number (512) 463-1447
Website http://bit.ly/hgBqoG

Representative Patricia Harless (shes pretty hot)
phone number (512) 463-0496
fax number (512) 463-1507
Website http://bit.ly/fAzz2b

Representative John Kuempel
phone number (512) 463-0602
fax number (512) 480-0391
Website http://bit.ly/fcEqJX

Representative Jose Menendez
phone number (512) 463-0634
fax number (512) 463-7668
Website http://bit.ly/h3qiMp

Representative Senfronia Thompson
phone number (512) 463-0720
fax number (512) 463-6306
Website http://bit.ly/gaMwf1

Source:
http://512brewing.wordpress.com/201...-for-onoff-premise-consumption-2/#comment-269

 

[SD-SLIM]

I have written a few letters on this...Thank You for keeping it going!

 

[BARBQ]

no problem and THANK YOU for writing.

There are tons of websites and Beer Freedom events that are trying to get at least one of these three bills that are out passed.

 

[BendBrewer]

Really? You folks can't buy growlers or 6-packs from a Brew Pub?

Best of luck to you. I'll be routing for Common Sense to prevail!

 

[BARBQ]

Really? You folks can't buy growlers or 6-packs from a Brew Pub?

Best of luck to you. I'll be routing for Common Sense to prevail!

1. We cant leave a brewpub with beer or buy it anywhere (but we can buy out of state brewpub beers at the store WTF?)

2. We cant buy a beer at a brewery or leave with any

Common sense is overiden by the big distribution companies currently in Texas. Yeahaw!

 

[BendBrewer]

What are the general feelings about it passing? Are that many Pols in TX bought and paid for?

 

[dover97]

I am not familiar with this particular bill but I think there are three different bills proposed currently. The one I am familiar with is HB660 which has been modified a few times but allows for Brewpubs to sell through distributers and allows Breweries to reregister as Brewpubs so that they can sell beer on thier premises. HB660 I think has a good chance of passing as it is now being supported by the largest Distributer Lobby.

In Texas a Brewpub can only sell on premises but you can take beer with you from the pub including in a Growler. A Brewery can only sell through a retailer.

 

[BARBQ]

i didnt know you could take growlers home.

The HB602 is the one that has made it out of committe.

 

[DoctorDuvel]

ok, i was thinking the laws had changed, because i used to bring half-gallon growlers home from Two-Rows (RIP) in Rice Village...
the laws surrounding breweries in this state are asinine, and also highlight a double standard when compared to vineyard/wine laws

 

[user 30639]

I wrote my rep when HB602 and HB660 first were introduced. Of course, I just moved so I guess I can write my new rep as well.

Hopefully we'll finally get a positive result this time.

 

[toxick]

1. We cant leave a brewpub with beer or buy it anywhere (but we can buy out of state brewpub beers at the store WTF?)

Then someone should tell Blue Star. I walked out of there with a growler of stout a few weeks ago. They were lamenting how they couldn't sell their beer through a distributor because they sell it on site...or something. That was also after imbibing a few beers on site.