Texas Craft Brewers have a message “Don’t Mess With TEXAS Brewers”

Since 2013, Texas craft brewers across the state have, in the opinion of Peticolas Brewing Company founder Michael Peticolas, been stripped of a pretty important right — the ability to sell the distribution rights to their beers. Peticolas felt so strongly that his rights were being infringed, in fact, that he sued the state of Texas to overturn the law.

Austin Judges Rules in Favor of Breweries

Turns out, Peticolas was right. In a suit brought by three Texas breweries — Garland’s Revolver Brewing Company, Austin’s Live Oak Brewing, and Peticolas — an Austin judge ruled yesterday that the 2013 law that banned breweries from selling distribution rights was unconstitutional under the Texas Constitution because the law did not “serve a legitimate public purpose.”

Whose Beer Is It?

Before the 2013 law, brewers were free to sell the rights to market their beer to a distributor of their choosing. When the law was enacted, brewers were forced to give those rights away to distributors, who could then sell the brand to yet another distributor at a profit. “The only ones who weren’t allowed to make any money from the distribution of their beers were the brewers,” says Peticolas.

Sweet Victory, Hey, That Would be a Great Name for a New Brew

For Peticolas, that victory feels pretty damn sweet. “Not that I’m going to, but I could go tomorrow and sell to another distributor, and I feel like I finally have my constitutional rights back,” he says. “We had a lot of beers tonight to celebrate.”

Amy McCarthy Aug 26, 2016 dallas.eater.com