Support On-Site Brewery Sales

So yesterday I posted about a bill to allow Texas breweries to sell their product on their premises. Then a reader asked the obvious question: What can Texans do to support this bill? The simplest answer is to contact your state representative and state senator today and tell them you want this passed!

Step 1: Find out who represents you. If you already know, congratulations for being politically aware! If you don't, then look it up here.

Step 2: Send them an e-mail, letter, or phone call telling them: "I strongly support passage of HB 1062/SB 754." That's the main message, but if you feel like you need to elaborate, please courteously tell them your reasons. If you want good talking points, read this Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial.

Step 3: Tell every beer drinker you know to do the same thing. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and nowhere is that more true than in government. At the moment, your legislators probably aren't even aware of this bill. Heck, they may not even know what a brewpub is. But if they get a flood of letters and phone calls about it, you can be damn sure they'll educate themselves on the subject. Pleasing you is how they keep their jobs.

Video Tour of Souther Star

Don't adjust your volume; the first section of the video is completely silent. Give it a minute. Video by I Love Beer follower bobbrew.

Texas Microbrewers Again Try to Legalize On-Site Sales

A bill has been introduced in the 81st Texas Legislature to allow microbrewers to sell their product on the premises of the brewery. Such sales are currently allowed for winemakers, but not beer producers. A similar bill was filed in the 80th Lege two years ago, but it died in committee.

The language of the bill is below. The bill number is Senate Bill 754 (author: Wendy Davis of Fort Worth), and its twin is House Bill 1062 (author: Lon Burnam, also of Forth Worth). (Hmm … do you think the guys at Rahr & Sons had something to do with this?)

I am a bit concerned that it specifies "ale" and "malt liquor" but not beer. I know that those words have specific (albeit arbitrary and inaccurate) meanings for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. I'll investigate further and give you an update. (SEE END OF THIS POST FOR UPDATE AND EXPLANATION)

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT relating to the sale of ale and malt liquor by brewer's permit holders.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 12.01, Alcoholic Beverage Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
(c) The holder of a brewer's permit whose premises is located in an area where the sale of ale and malt liquor is legal and who produces at least 1,000 barrels of ale or malt liquor a year may sell ale and malt liquor manufactured or bottled on the permitted premises to ultimate consumers:
(1) in unbroken packages for off-premises consumption in an amount that does not exceed 35,000 gallons annually; and
(2) for consumption on the brewery premises if the brewery is located in an area where the sale of ale and malt liquor for on-premises consumption is legal.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.

UPDATE: Okay, as promised here's what the "ale" and "malt liquor" language is about. Definitions, according to the TABC and Texas Legal Code:

"Ale" or "malt liquor" means a malt beverage containing more than four percent of alcohol by weight.

and

"Beer" means a malt beverage containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume and not more than four percent of alcohol by weight, and does not include a beverage designated by label or otherwise by a name other than beer.

As I said, the definitions are arbitrary and have nothing to do with proper terminology as used by brewers. Those definitions could cause some problems, though: I just did a quick check of one brewer's website, and noticed that Saint Arnold would be able to sell some of its beers, but not all (their Wheat is 3.9% ABW, and thus fits the definition of "beer" and would be excluded by this bill). If the bill can even get a hearing, the authors may want to include "beer" in the bill as well.

UPDATE 2: On Sunday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's J.R. Labbe wrote an editorial favoring this bill, and did a good job previewing the battle that could kill this bill: Although lawmakers love to extol the virtues of small business, they also like the campaign cash that might come from big distributors who prefer to be the only game in town for beer sales.

Me too!

I'm assuming this picture is public domain and okay for me to post. I love it.

I also assume it's from that idiotic time known as Prohibition — a bit of stupidity that's been on my mind a lot the past couple of days as Michael Phelps keeps getting beaten up over his pot "scandal." When are we going to quit legislating morality, and when are we going to stop having a double standard for alcohol and other recreational drugs?

Warsteiner Dunkel: Not that impressed

I'm blogging live from the Flying Saucer! Today's fire sale is Warsteiner Dunkel for $2.75/pint. Unfortunately, I'm only mildly impressed with it. I suppose in a universe that made sense, I'd rave over how this product of Germany is the real deal and blissfully good, but to tell you the truth, it isn't nearly in the class of the Texas-made dark weizens that I praised in a recent post.

I'm not sure what the problem is – I just realized I've had it before and really liked it, specifically at last year's Wurstfest. It just doesn't have that banana-ish taste that I was expecting after falling in love with North by Northwest's Dunkel. The glass I'm having right now just starts off like a plain dark, not unlike Shiner Bock. It is redeemed, however, with a touch of honey on the finish that I enjoy.

Perhaps the taste was enhanced last November by how much fun I was having down in New Braunfels. I'm puzzled.

[UPDATE: Okay, one of the posts in the comments section has helped clarify some of my confusion. This dunkel doesn't taste like a dunkelweizen because, well, it isn't one. They're two different styles. My beer education continues.]

Okay, I'm actually supposed to be working right now, so I'd better put down the blog and get back to reading this report on the Texas Legislature I brought with me.

Drink Up: Your Planet Is Counting On You

Anything that is good for the planet and gets you drunk is a gift from God. Associated Press writer Marc Lallanilla offers up this list of 10 great organic beers, via the Forecast Earth website.

For the comments section: Have any of you tried any of these beers? How were they?

I've had some Wolaver's, but not the wit. I think it was the pale ale, and I remember it being pretty good. And I've actually drank at Hopworks in Portland as part of Bill's bicycling brewpub tour, and remember it was great, although I don't remember which beers I had. Stone Mill is available here in Austin, and I think I may have had it once, although I can't say it made an impression on me. Mothership Wit, also widely available, is probably one I should try, but I've noted many times here than wheat beers only occasionally agree with me.

UPDATE: Turns out Lanilla is, like me, a University of Texas alum. He e-mailed me to say:

I thought I would mention that I am not a writer for Associated Press, but a freelance writer for LifeWire, a division of The New York Times Company. A minor point, but you know how things go viral on the Internet.

And tell everyone in Austin I said hello -- I lived there during and after my UT college days, from 1979 to 1987.

Thanks again -- and Hook 'em, Horns!

Southern Star Brewing Contest

Big news from our friends out in the East Texas pines:

Attention all home brewers!

Southern Star Brewing is having a best of show competition (without the actual show). The winning recipe will be brewed here with the winner and be released as our fall seasonal. The beer will also be entered into the 2009 GABF Pro-Am competition.

As always, there are a few rules:

* Great American Beer Festival rules dictate that to be eligible for the Pro-Am, the home brewer MUST be an American Home Brewer Association member. Fortunately, Saint Arnold Brewing Company is hosting an AHA rally on 2/15/09, so if you are not a member, you can easily become one at this fun filled event. Check out further details at: www.SaintArnold.com

* Entries Must be greater than 5% ABV. Our license does not allow us to make weak beer.

* Entries must be ready to drink within 2 months after brewing. If you brew a giant, it must mellow fast.

* Entries must be "All Grain" batches.

* Entry must be able to be replicated on our system (i.e. no decoction or weird ingredient prep). We are capable of step infusion. Single step infusion preferred.

* Entries cannot be from blended batches. See above rule.

* There is no entry fee. Enter as many beers as you want. Style is open. Judges are invited to enter.

* You must submit at least 6 bottles of each entry along with the recipe(we will keep the recipe private unless you state otherwise).

* Entry deadline is MAY 2ND

Entries will be judged on a 2 round basis that may extend to three rounds by Houston area Homebrew illuminati (or as many of them as we can round up/convince to do this).Keep in mind our existing beer styles, as we are looking to diversify.

Good luck and we look forward to drinking … err, judging your entries!
=============================================================

The next piece of News is that Southern Star Brewing will be celebrating its FIRST Anniversary on March 27th (a Friday) at 6pm at the brewery. We plan on having a band play and of course the tasting bar will be open. Though we won't be serving any food, but the admission is FREE and no reservations are required!

Keep an eye on the website for any updates including the name of the band and such.

We hope to see you there!

===========================================================

Finally, we have a piece of distribution news. Seems that we are pretty popular outside of Texas as we are distributing Pine Belt Pale to Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois(Chicago area),North Carolina, and soon to be South Carolina.

Don't worry Texans, we haven't forgotten about you – we are working hard to try and get our beer to as many places around the state as possible. Wish we could tell everybody where they can buy it, but again legally we can't tell you.

Oh, and remember the tours start up again this Saturday (February 7th-Saturday) at 1pm and will occur every Saturday at 1pm for the winter and spring months.

We hope to see you there!

Cheers!

Brett
-SSB Webmaster

------------------------------------
Southern Star Brewing Company
1207 N. FM 3083 E.
Conroe, Texas 77303
936.441.BREW
(936.441.2739)
Brewery@SouthernStarBrewing.com

http://www.SouthernStarBrewing.com/