Brew Pub in Texas

[ToMakeBeer]

My brother has been brewing beer at home for a while and considered starting a brew pub. My question is, since we live in a very religion heavy area in Texas, are all of the licensing done by the city...or most by state? (seriously...when it was time to vote to allow beer in all of the convenience stores in my town, the churches teamed with up the liquor stores to get the measure voted out!) There is a market here for it...as we do have a Home Brewers Association chapter here...we are just afraid the big religion will squash any efforts to open a brew pub if all of the licenses have to be obtained from the city.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Some of the health and safety inspections and various business permits will come from the city (or county) but the brewing permits will be national and state level.

 

[user 30639]

One thing you will have to deal with on the city level is zoning. Although I'm guessing if you're doing a brewpub zoning already exists for that type of establishment. I know if a couple production breweries in Texas that had some problems setting up because the cities didn't know how to zone for them.

 

[Jacob_Marley]

Typically, the regulatory body at the State level is what provides the retail license (though for production, that's Fed) , and the background check may take the opinion of the local police into account ... but you won't be able to open your doors usually until both the Health Department (usually from the County) and often the local Building department sign off on the business. If any of the above don't approve, it won't fly. Further, the city council has to have made provision for enough alcohol providing establishments in their jurisdiction that you can get a spot. If those allowances are all taken up ... you'll have to wait until one becomes available ... or, move just beyond the edge of town and open one of those "Last Chance Bar" joints.

 

[ToMakeBeer]

Further, the city council has to have made provision for enough alcohol providing establishments in their jurisdiction that you can get a spot. If those allowances are all taken up ... you'll have to wait until one becomes available ... or, move just beyond the edge of town and open one of those "Last Chance Bar" joints.

Ha! The awesome thing (or sad thing) about our town is that most of the growth is occurring at the northern edge of the city limits...and north of the city limits. Our city doesn't really plan for the future so a lot of new businesses...that want to be in the "in" spot of town, are not having to worry about zoning and city red-tape since they are building outside of the city's limits!

 

[Jacob_Marley]

... since we live in a very religion heavy area in Texas

I once lived near a baptist church in Franklin Tennessee (a "First Primitive Baptist" type) that had a beer store attached to it though a very short hallway. If ya went to the beer store too drunk you might go in the wrong door and get saved.

Maybe you can get the place past the locals by attaching a church to it.

The First Primitive Baptist Church and Brewpub

 

[ToMakeBeer]

I once lived near a baptist church in Franklin Tennessee (a "First Primitive Baptist" type) that had a beer store attached to it though a very short hallway. If ya went to the beer store too drunk you might go in the wrong door and get saved.

Maybe you can get the place past the locals by attaching a church to it.

The First Primitive Baptist Church and Brewpub

Ha ha ha! Too funny!