Texas craft beer legislation marches through House committee

Selling craft beer in Texas could get much easier for craft brewers if the five bills continue to pass through the state’s legislature.

When we caught up with the Texas Craft Brewers Guild (TCBG) in mid-March, Executive Director Charles Vallhonrat detailed a handful of Texas bills that would make business easier on Texas craft brewers. Late last month, the Texas Senate passed the craft beer legislation and this week the bills were unanimously passed by the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee.

“The Texas Craft Brewers Guild has been working with the Texas legislature and other stakeholders in the craft beer market to develop legislation that will modernize the state’s alcohol regulatory system to make Texas’s small craft brewers more competitive,” Vallhonrat told us when we profiled the TCBG. “The package of bills [SB 515, 516, 517, and 518] introduce changes for both brewpubs and package breweries. The bills allow Texas breweries to be more competitive and will drive growth for these small businesses that bring jobs and tax revenue to that State of Texas.”

The Chron reported that the bills passed the House committee vote with the identical wording in which they left the Senate. Rick Donley, president of The Beer Alliance of Texas, said that they cleared “another hurdle.”

From the Chron:

In what would be among the biggest changes to the state’s beer laws in 20 years, the legislation would allow breweries to sell a limited amount of beer in their own taprooms for consumption on site. Another major provision would allow brewpubs to package beer for sale in groceries and other off-site outlets.

For the full breakdown of what the bills would do, check out our profile on the TCBG that offers an in-depth look at the legislation.