Texas Legislators Are Trying to Legalize Beer-to-Go Sales

[Elderberry]

Austin Eater 1/15/2019

Two new bills supported by a craft brewery lobby are being put forward this month

Two new bills were introduced in the Texas Legislative Session this session, looking to legalize beer-to-go sales from Texas craft breweries. Currently, Texas is the only state where it’s illegal for breweries to sell to-go beers on the premises.

Both SB 312 and HB 672 would add “off-premises consumption” to that law, allowing people to buy beer-to-go from local breweries. That is something people can already do at Texas distilleries, wineries, and brewpubs. The new bills would “further economic development” in the state, Buckingham continued.

More: https://austin.eater.com/2019/1/15/18183906/texas-beers-to-go-sales-legalize-bills-legislature

[thackney]

..."We turn away no less than 150 - 200 a week that ask for a six pack to go," said William Golden, co-owner and director of brewing operations at Austin Beer Works.

State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez has filed HB 672 in hopes of changing that. "If you go to a winery, you can go to the winery, taste wine there, buy a bottle or two to go," he said. "If you go to the distillery, it's the exact same thing."

The same goes for brewpubs, except they're much more limited in the amount of beer they can produce and have to pay for a special license so you can leave with beer on your way out. "For whatever reason, Texas is the only state in the entire United States where you can't do that at a brewery," Rodriguez said....

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/two-bills-would-make-it-legal-for-texas-breweries-to-sell-beer-to-go