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Beer in the legislature
Another legislative session, another chance to fight for your right to drink beer as you please. The right to drink local craft beer, that is. Two state bills were filed last week concerning Texas brewpubs, breweries and the liquid gold they produce.
Representative Mike Villarreal of San Antonio filed HB 660, which if passed, would allow Texas brewpubs (See: Draught House, Black Star Co-Op, Uncle Billy’s) to sell their product to wholesale permit holders and distributors (in state and out of state). As the laws currently state, you can only drink beer produced by a local brewpub at the brewpub itself. If the bill passes, you could potentially buy your favorite local brews in grocery or liquor stores to enjoy in the comfort of your own home. HB 660 also addresses allowed total production limits for brewpubs, and more. Read the full text of the HB 660 bill here.
Jessica Farrar, D-Houston filed a bill that would allow breweries to charge for tours, and then give customers up to 48 12-oz. bottles. Breweries would still not be allowed to sell beer directly to customers from the brewery. Sound familiar? That’s because variations of this bill have been filed before, read Pat Beach’s 2009 story, “Taste at brewery, but don’t take it with you,” to get a full background on the issue. Or read the full text of HB 602 bill here.
For an insider’s perspective, check out Scott Metzger’s blog from Freetail Brewing Co. for updates, or join the conversation on Twitter with the hastag #HB660.
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By Charles Hueter
January 19, 2011 9:22 PM | Link to this
Any Texas legislator who talks about economic freedom and does not support these bills is fraud.