Texas Beer-to-Go Bill Finally Passes

Finally, Texas breweries will be able to legally sell beer-to-go in the state, now that the bill officially passed. Texas governor Greg Abbott signed the bill at North Burnet brewery Austin Beerworks last Saturday, June 15.

The beer-to-go bill, formally known as House Bill 1545, will allow Texas craft breweries to sell its own beers to-go starting on Saturday, September 1. This means that people visiting local breweries in the state — like Austin Beerworks, Hops & Grain, and Family Business Brewing Co. — will be able to buy and bring home beers from those establishments. There is a daily limit of 288 fluid ounces per purchasing individual, which is about the same as a single cafe of 12-ounce bottles or cans, or nine 32-ounce crowlers, as the Texas Craft Brewers Guild estimates.

The beer-to-go bills was backed by Republican Texas State Senator Dawn Buckingham and Democrat State Representative Eddie Rodriguez (originally known as HB 672 and SB 312), as well as supported by the Texas Brewers Guild and CraftPAC. Before the bill passed, Texas had been the only state that didn’t allow breweries from selling its beers to-go.

Both bills passed through the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate just before the end of the Texas Legislative Sessions in mid-May. Although the bills didn’t get enough votes on its own, it had to be attached to the TABC sunset bill in late April, which called for a restructuring of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

• Texas Legislators Are Trying to Legalize Beer-to-Go Sales [EATX]