http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc...wn-4058211.php
By Valentino Lucio
In an effort to open the doors for more brewers and to widen the reach for existing breweries, Texas legislators and brewers are pushing for changes in state laws that limit how beer is sold.
Currently in Texas, there are two ways beer can be manufactured and sold to the public.
1. A brewpub, which usually operates as a restaurant, manufactures beer. That beer can't be sold for distribution, but the brewpub can sell its beer for consumption on site or to go in bottles, kegs or cans.
2. The other avenue is to be a manufacture brewery, which can only sell its beer via distribution. Manufacture breweries can have tasting rooms, but they cannot sell their beer on the premises.
If signed into law, House Bill 602, which was approved by the Texas House last session, would allow manufacture breweries to charge for tours and sell their beers on premises. But House Bill 660, which would let brewpubs distribute their brews never got out of its House committee.
“Any big change in state law rarely happens in one session,” said Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, a self-proclaimed craft beer fan and co-author of HB 660. “And the odds of passage always go up the more committed the advocates are. These advocates are so committed, and so am I. We know the fastest-growing segment of the beer industry is the craft beer sector. And if we can invent the next Sam Adams in Texas, it means more jobs and satisfied consumers.”
Villarreal added that HB 660 will be filed again next session, which starts in January.
It's estimated that if legislation changes for brewpubs and manufacture breweries, that the industry would have a direct economic impact of more than $2 billion while creating nearly 28,000 jobs, according to data from the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, which bases its model on the growth of the state's wine industry from 2001-2009.
“If the laws change, it will help even the playing field,” said Blue Star Brewing Co.'s Joey Villarreal, who's not related to the state representative. “We built our brewery over capacity. It was geared to produce for off-premises sales. I can't predict the future; so I don't know what will happen, but it would give us an added revenue stream and make the local economy and brewing industry grow.”
Freetail Brewing Co.'s Scott Metzger said there's no guarantee that a change in legislation will come soon but agreed that updating brewing laws could create more opportunity.
“We would like to open another place in Texas, but it's on a holding pattern until things change.”
vlucio@express-news.net
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