Opinion

Free beer: Let's loosen up on craft brewers.

Here in Texas we often take pride in having a limited, pro-business state government. But sometimes that self-definition gets called into question. For the most recent example, look to Texas' brewers ("Brewers predict heady times if state eases on-site limits," Page B6, July 23).

Texas has undeniably had a booming craft brewing industry over the past several years. In fact, between 2007 and 2011, the number of craft breweries and brewpub restaurants in Texas more than doubled. What makes this more impressive is that it happened under strict, and seemingly unnecessary, state regulation.

The current state alcohol code prevents breweries that sell their product through wholesalers from selling their beer directly to consumers. And brewpub restaurants that make their own beer on site cannot package their product for sale at off-site locations. Either they can sell it where they make it, or sell it in restaurants and stores, but not both.

This regulation locks aspiring brewery entrepreneurs into a rigid structure from the very beginning, rather than let them just sell beer to consumers wherever they may be.

It makes sense to let brewers start as a brewpub, and then sell elsewhere as they scale up. But the current rules prevent that.

In fact, these regulations don't- seem to have any legitimate justification except that they are supported by major wholesaler groups and Anheuser-Busch, which have been lobbying representatives in Austin to keep the rules in place. But changes to the alcohol code would liberate craft brewers and, according to an industry study, add 52,000 jobs and build a $5.6 billion craft brewing industry by 2020. While this may be an overly optimistic estimation, it is hard to deny that politicians in Austin are holding back Texas industry and Texas jobs.

But while Texas is keeping tight reign on our craft brewers, other states have distinctly more friendly regulations, and it shows. While Texas craft brewers make just 0.7 percent of all beer consumed in Texas, craft brewers in California and Oregon, which don't have regulations like Texas, produce 13 percent and 16 percent of all beer consumed in their respective states. And New York recently passed legislation to support local breweries with tax breaks and special licenses to help small brewers.

When California, Oregon and New York are more business-friendly than Texas, something is wrong.

It is time for politicians in Austin to stop messing with Texas beer.