No, this is a state wide legislation. I think they're included in the "Sunset Laws" or whatever that come around every so often. I knew they were coming up soon, but I haven't heard anything ab it passing. If it's true, say goodbye to the mom and pop stores. I think Spec's and Fiesta will be the only thing left standing..
I like good beer too, but I would be interested to see a list of beers that we can't get because of some label law. I'm skeptical. Maybe you just need to find a place with a better selection.
Nope. Beer, ale and liquor--well, that's another matter. The TABC chemist tests each of these items, distilling out the alcohol and weighing it by volume. It can take a full day just to test one beer. And yes, he dumps the stuff down the drain when he's through. The reason for all of this rigmarole has to do with state law and state tax. According to the state, any malt beverage weighing in at 4 percent alcohol or less earns a beer label, taxed at 19.4 cents a gallon. Above 4 percent and it becomes an ale, malt liquor, porter or stout, earning 19.8 cents a gallon. At least Texas ranks below the national average in tax on beer (23.9 cents a gallon) and liquor, which our state collects at $2.40 a gallon compared with Florida's $6.50 a gallon. Still, last year, the state pulled in almost $515 million in alcoholic beverage taxes. Imported beers create even greater confusion. European manufacturers commonly bottle beers--malt beverages rather--in 11.5-ounce bottles (something to do with the metric system). Unfortunately, nonmetric Texas limits these products to 7, 8, 12, 16, 24 or 32-ounce bottles. "Unless it fits in those sizes, it can't be approved," says Johnson. .... For the purpose of alcoholic beverage approval, the state interacts directly with the manufacturers. The manufacturers then ship approved products to wholesalers, who distribute the stuff to retail outlets. Consumers sit at the bottom of the chain, powerless. If you want a rare item such as a Thomas Hardy's Ale, you must generally forget about it and settle for a lesser ale. Local establishments waited six months for TABC to approve bottles of L'Espirit de Courvoisier, the ultraexpensive cognac blended from Napoleon's own collection, and Johnson blames the manufacturer. "Quite frankly," he explains, "if there's a manufacturer or importer in New York, they'd have to get approval, and if it is a small order, they may not do it." http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2001-04-05/cooking.html
Huh. That doesn't explain MB's claim that you can't get microbrews from other parts of the US - only some Euro beers.
Here in Alaska, one local chain of liquor stores actually has a deal with Alaska Airlines where you can earn frequent flier miles with every purchase. It freakin rules.
Wait, you can't buy alcohol in Texas on Sunday? EDIT: I live here, just never tried to buy sauce on Sun.
I just got back from California a few days ago. I bought a 750ml bottle of Crown for 16.99 at a Safeway. Hope they start to allow it here.
I do not have any articles to post that back up my claim. I've been told this by various liquor store owners because I have requested various beers from other states. Maybe my info is incorrect as I get my information via word of mouth but I've received the same story from different vendors. During my own personal experiences in different states (and its been quiet a few), Texas ranks last when it comes to variety of beer selection. Perhaps our opinions vary.
Yeah, having liquor at the grocery store really lowers prices. Two things are cheaper here in Cali than TX. Liquor and strangely, auto insurance.
That's good enough for me. Wasn't sure if its something you'd 'heard' or what. If you've had several different owners say it then its more than likely not made up . I wonder how this affects 'beer of the month' clubs etc. I haven't found any problem shipping wine in - I wonder if beer is the same.
Man, 'Free Beer' on a T-Shirt is taking a whole new connotation. Who knew. As for beer clubs - found this. Posted on Wed, Dec. 07, 2005 Elves will bring you beer, but not exactly legallyBy BARRY SHLACHTERSTAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERThinking a monthly beer delivery might be the gift that keeps on giving? This is tricky. There are beer-of-the-month clubs out there. And most will ship to Texas. But technically -- actually, more than technically -- they are illegal as far as the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission is concerned. Texas law permits out-of-state wineries to send their products directly to consumers, bypassing distributors and retailers, if they pay a $75 annual fee and get a direct shipper's permit. But no statute now allows such services for beer. Go figure. That hasn't stopped Hog's Head Beer of the Month Club, Beer on the Wall, Ale in the Mail, Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club, Connoisseur Club and Amazing Beer Club, to name several, from offering to send their products this way. Curiously, though, we found that several clubs offered exactly the same November selection: a 12-pack split between Saranac beers from Matt Brewery of Utica, N.Y., and Snake River beers from Jackson Hole, Wyo. It turns out that, if you call or contact online Beer of the Month Club, Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club, Elite Corporate Gifts, Micro Beer of the Month, Hog's Head, World Beer Direct, Ale in the Mail or Clubs of America, you'll reach either the same marketing company -- Laguna Hills, Calif.-based C&H Clubs -- or separate companies that have cut deals to share C&H's bulk purchases and use the same packing service in the Chicago area. The reason C&H has so many company names and Web sites, explained Kathleen Calef, director of product development and mother of founder Kris Calef, is that the family-owned venture survived the massive dot-com shakeout and then began buying up foundering rivals. They all charge about the same -- $29.95 to $31.99 for a 12-pack, including ground shipping -- with a minimum two-month "membership." This works out to at least $2.50 per bottle, about twice the retail price for craft beers of similar quality at a Fort Worth liquor store or supermarket. Most of the beers you will get from these services, however, are not usually available in North Texas. I tried one of the C&H Web sites, Hog's Head, and the beer arrived intact in a two-part foam container inside a corrugated box. The return address on the shipping label gave the anonymous-sounding "Distribution Center" as sender, in a place called Lake Moore, Ill. The Saranac and Snake River beers were good but not exemplary, though I was glad to get the opportunity to sample unfamiliar brands. It was a chore finding other companies that offered a different selection and would ship to Texas, but I did unearth a couple. Arctic Liquor of Steamboat Springs, Colo., www. arcticliquor.com, offered to ship two six-packs of Colorado microbrewed beer. A minimum three-month membership works out to $24.95 for the beer, plus another $15 for shipping, each month -- $3.33 a bottle. But the selection included brands that can be bought in Fort Worth. Beer on the Wall, based in Modesto, Calif., sells a minimum two-month membership bringing a 12-pack of California microbrews each month for $75.90, including shipping. That works out to $3.16 a bottle. A sample order from Beer on the Wall included an American pale ale and a blond ale, the latter a micro hybrid rarely seen in these parts. Both are from Coast Range Brewing Co. of Chico, Calif. The order also included Butte Creek Brewing Co.'s Winter Ale, an American brown ale that I found rather interesting. Overall, Beer on the Wall delivered an enjoyable experience in trying new brands -- but, again, nothing really special here. The beers came in cleverly packed, folded, corrugated cardboard compartments. As with C&H, there was no indication on the parcel that it contained beer. Rick Steven, Beer on the Wall's owner, said there's no way he can compete pricewise with C&H -- which he says has the wherewithal to buy a microbrewery's entire production run, at a steep discount, and then truck it all to the Illinois packing center. "We get our stuff from small brewers, mainly on the West Coast," said Steven, a civil-engineer-turned-dot-com-entrepreneur. "I wish I could price myself to where they are. We're very selective, and we're not trying to get to huge." Hog's Head Beer of the Month Club www.hogshead.com (800) 795-BEER (2337) $29.95 per month for a 12-pack Beer on the Wall www.beeronthewall.com (888) 840-BEER (2337) $22.95 for a 6-pack; $37.95 for a 12-pack per month
i dont care about liqour in groceries.. i can just go down the block to a REAL liqour store.. big deal.. what I DO have a PROBLEM about is the GHEY 2 o clock bar/club closing time in TEXAS... ONLY STATE i know that does that GHEY SHIZZLES.... @#($@#"($&#@($(@#!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've heard pretty much the same from the Manager at Spec's. Lot's of smaller domestic breweries don't use standard 12-oz containers, and warning labels are required as well. The main problem is the TABC and the ridiculously complex & outdated alcohol code in the state. Anyone who's dealt with the agency will tell you as much, and a good many of it's agents are, well, assholes. Here's another good article: http://www.houstonpress.com/issues/2005-04-07/news.html So one domestic brewer has to pay $600,000 more to produce a container that conforms to Texas law. And a malt beverage producer estimated additional costs of $200,000 for that, the Sunset report stated. ... Allen Shivers, who headed the TABC for six years, hears the stories and shakes his head at Texas's code: "No one understands it. It's at least as complicated as the IRS code. "Take three experienced TABC agents and give them the same fact situation," Shivers says about TABC's marketing rules. "You'd have at least five different interpretations of the Alcoholic Beverage Code." If you are a glutton for punishment & want to slog through the Alcohol Code, here it is: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/al.toc.htm
It is illegal to ship any distilled spirits or malt beverages in the state of Texas. They just changed the law last year (2005) so that you can receive wine.
speaking of beer... ----------- Missouri lawmaker seeks to ban sale of cold beer By CHRIS BLANK Associated Press Writer A state senator wants to force Missouri stores to sell warm beer. Under a bill by Sen. Bill Alter, grocery and convenience stores would risk losing their liquor licenses if they sold beer colder than 60 degrees. The intent is to cut down on drunken driving by making it less tempting to pop open a beer after leaving the store. “The only reason why beer would need to be cold is so that it can be consumed right away,” Alter, who has been a police offer for more than 20 years, said Thursday. http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2006/01/06/news_state/0010606031.txt
i may be way off but here's my theory. i don't think it's the people who pop open a bottle to drink and drive after leaving the store we have to worry about. granted, they shouldn't be doing it anyways. it's the people who've been drinking at the party, or wherever, already for the past couple of hours and decide to drive that concerns me.
You could always "roll" it. 1.) Lay warm beer can on it's side on top of ice. 2.) Rotate the can around and around with your fingers for about a minute. 3.) Drink your ice cold beer.
