There were a dozen craft breweries across the Houston metro before 2013, and that seemed like a lot at the time.
Now, there are 52.
The new breweries have added 344,487 square feet of industrial space — roughly the size of a 14-story office building — to the local market, according to a new report from commercial real estate firm NAI Partners.
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NAI said cities in Texas are “wildly underserved.” Only 12 of the 52 breweries are inside the 610 Loop, the report said, citing data from the Houston Beer Guide.
The report is here. On the one hand, I’m a little surprised there aren’t more breweries inside the loop, since they’re very much a neighborhood business and benefit from having a lot of potential customers in close proximity. On the other hand, real estate prices are such that it’s practically a miracle any breweries are inside the loop. However you look at it, I do agree there’s room in the market for further growth. We were behind the curve on this trend for a long time, and we’re still catching up.
Legalizing microbreweries might be the single most beneficial thing that the TX lege has done in my lifetime 😀
The fact that the legislature had to craft (pun intended) specific laws to legalize something that should have already been legal is the real shame of all this. Of course I support the craft brewers. I also support the large brewers. If you want to go into the beer, wine, or spirits business, you shouldn’t have to lobby the legislature for special dispensation to do so.
We have a LONG way to go before Texas sheds its crony capitalism and Blue Law past. We could start by tossing out virtually ALL of the liquor laws, save for those intended to keep underaged folks from buying it, and the health laws intended to keep things safe for the consumer.
Fly: Maybe not the best, but probably in the top 25. 🙂