Microbrewery visitors could take beer home under proposal OK'd by Texas House

AUSTIN -- Small brewery owners and supporters are bubbling with optimism after the Texas House approved a bill Thursday that would allow them to give away up to 12 beers as part of the price of a tour.

The bill doesn't quite allow microbreweries such as Rahr & Sons south of downtown Fort Worth to sell beer for consumption off-site, as small Texas wineries can.

But, supporters say, it allows the next-best thing. Breweries that make no more than 75,000 barrels a year could charge varying admission rates for tours. Then, depending on the amount paid, visitors could take home a "souvenir" growler (64 ounces), a six-pack or up to 144 ounces (the equivalent of a 12-pack).

"Beer and spirit products in general are high in agricultural products, and I think that's good for the economy of the state," said Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth. In a previous session, Burnam tried to pass a measure allowing beer sales in small breweries, but wholesale distributors opposed it.

This time, the measure, which passed unanimously, was authored by Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston. A companion bill in the Senate is sponsored by Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth.

Visitors to Rahr at 701 Galveston Ave. pay $7 for a tour, which includes free draft samples. But they can't take the brew home.

Rahr & Sons owner Fritz Rahr said he doesn't want to celebrate until the bill passes the Senate, where he has heard some members have concerns.

Making sure that people who tour the brewery go home with samples would help people get in the habit of choosing Rahr products, he said.

"They take it home and put it in their refrigerator and try it again and again," he said. "Then the next time they go to the store, they may see it again and buy it."