Texas House Bill would allow small breweries to sell beer to-go

by Steve Smith of West and Clear

About damn time I say. It’s stupid that I can visit the Rahr Brewery but not be allowed to buy a six-pack to take home.

Sure, I know the Lege is wrestling with lots of thorny issues like school finance reform and children’s health insurance, but there are plenty of little bills that could have a big impact. For one, State Rep. Lon Burnam’s HB 1062, known as the Texas Brewers Parity Amendment, would amend the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission code to allow small in-state brewers to sell bottled beer for off-premise consumption at their breweries. About damn time I say. It’s stupid that I can visit the Rahr Brewery but not be allowed to buy a six-pack to take home.

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Colby Walton, says:

Agreed with that sentiment. By the way, some friends and I will be visiting the Rahr Brewery for the first time on Saturday. Any recommendations, vis-a-vis best beers or what to expect of the brewery tour?

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10 months ago
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Mike Orren, says:

Yes, um, "some friends" would like to know.

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10 months ago
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Alex Bentley, says:

Hands down the best "tasting" I've ever been to. For $5 (tour is free, but tasting is not), you get a full-sized glass (not sure if it's a pint or not, but it definitely isn't a small tasting glass) and three tokens, each good for a fill-up.

Make sure to get there early as the crowds are usually plentiful, which puts an extra degree of difficulty in drinking three beers in two hours. Skip the tour -- you can see everything you want to see from the main area and the crowds make it impossible to hear the tour guide anyway.

Oh, one last thing -- parking is probably the biggest challenge, but if you need to park 3-4 blocks away, do it. The retirement/nursing home next door will tow you in a Fort Worth minute (not that I, um, have any knowledge of such a thing).

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10 months ago
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Colby Walton, says:

Thanks, Alex. Those insights are quite helpful!

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10 months ago
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Chris Kidd, says:

Wow! Texas finally getting out of the stone ages and allowing breweries to do business with the public like other more progressive states, what a shock! Maybe this will be the beginning of the end for the current TABC, as their haphazardtactics for licensing and enforcement of bars/restaurants is a bad punchline to a joke worthy of The Divine Comedy, not to mention the archaic system of banning parties who own said establishments from buying from the liquor companies direcly.