Texas Breweries Will Begin Beer To-Go Sales in September

Good news for local beer fans: Texas breweries will be able to their product to go, starting September 1.

For San Antonio craft breweries like Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling, the long-awaited law will allow for new revenue and potential customers. Gov. Greg Abbott this week signed the TABC sunset bill — including its beer to-go amendment — into law, ending a lengthy battle between craft brewers and the Beer Alliance of Texas and the Wholesale Beer Distributors of Texas.

Until now, Texas had been the only remaining state to restrict on-site brewery sales, forcing customers to find and purchase their favorite local brews from a supermarket or liquor store, instead of during a brewery tour.

“We’re a unique case, being a brewery and distillery, but Ranger Creek has been here for nearly a decade,” brewer TJ Miller said. “When we first started this business, we couldn’t sell anything.”

Brewpubs can produce and sell up to 10,000 barrels on- and off-site each year, while breweries can produce up to 225,000 barrels and sell up to 5,000 barrels annually.

“[Previous legislation] wouldn’t let us become a brew pub, so we couldn’t sell our beer to out-of-state visitors and people coming in from cities across Texas," Miller said. "The new law a huge [win] for us. We’re excited for this to go into effect.”

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