A proposal to let Texas breweries sell more beer directly to consumers got a frosty reception from the head of a major wholesalers group Friday, suggesting it might not be easy to get more pro-brewer legislation passed two years after the sweeping overhaul of last session.

“We just don’t see a dramatic need to change the system at this point,” said Rick Donley, president of the Beer Alliance of Texas, which represents some of the state’s biggest distributors.

Donley’s association supported the successful 2013 effort that gave production breweries the right to sell a limited amount of beer on site as long as it is poured and consumed there. Most beer in Texas is channeled through the three-tier system, with breweries selling to distributors who then deal with retailers.

Related legislation in 2013 also allowed brewpubs to package and sell their beer in stores, bars and other restaurants.

Twinned bills introduced this week would extend direct sales for breweries. The proposals by state Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, and state Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, would let customers buy beer that they could take away and drink later.

“This gives Texas breweries the same rights already enjoyed by wineries, distilleries and many of their out-of-state competitors,” Keffer said in a written statement distributed by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild.

Under the bill, consumers would be restricted to a single purchase of no more than the equivalent of two cases of beer each month at a brewery. Advocates say this type of “souvenir” beer, often sold following tours or special events, can be an effective marketing tool.

“This legislation is designed to finish what we started last session and bring people from around the country to this state which is rapidly becoming the epicenter of craft brewing quality,” Eltife said in the statement from the Brewers Guild.

Donley said the Beer Alliance is still digesting the details of this and other legislation affecting alcohol sales in Texas, but he sounded skeptical.

The Beer Alliance and major wholesalers have contributed many hundreds of thousands of dollars to numerous political campaigns in Texas since the beginning of 2013. Major recipients include Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, but the Beer Alliance of Texas PAC also gave a total of $5,000 to Eltife in June 2013, Texas Ethics Commission reports show.

Donley said it has been only a year and a half since the most recent law changes went into effect, and his organization would like more time to see how that plays out in the marketplace.

He also said he thinks the two-case-per-month limit is too high and he would want an annual cutoff on how much breweries could sell this way. The exemptions approved in 2013 limited breweries to selling no more than 5,000 barrels of beer on site. While the bill currently does not specify an annual limit, a spokesman in Eltife’s office said the 5,000-barrel limit would still apply to all beer sold on site, whether it was sold for on- or off-premise consumption.

Donley said the ongoing success of Texas craft brewing further suggests the industry does not need additional help.

The Brewers Guild agrees that craft sales have been “on a recent tear.” It said breweries affected by the latest laws increased production by 44 percent and made “an economic impact of $2.3 billion” in 2013.

The guild supports the new legislation and said the “modernization of the Texas alcoholic beverage code is seen as a great step toward making Texas a leading craft beer state.”

Brock Wagner, owner and founder of Houston’s Saint Arnold Brewing Co., insisted the craft brewers are not seeking to replace traditional retailers. Rather, he said, this legislation would address the most common question from tour and special events visitors — why they are not allowed to buy beer to take home — and boost awareness of the brands.

ronnie.crocker@chron.com