Tag Archives: beer

Federal ban on home distilling ruled unconstitutional

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I have somewhat mixed feelings about this. A federal judge in Texas has ruled that a 156-year-old ban on at-home distilling is unconstitutional, siding with a group that advocates for legalizing the ability of people to produce spirits like whiskey … Continue reading →

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Microbreweries are getting back on track

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A bit of good news. Texas craft breweries rebounded in 2021, a promising sign after the pandemic staggered the industry. The state of beer: Of the state’s 10 largest breweries, seven increased production in 2021 compared with 2020, according to an Axios analysis … Continue reading →

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Somehow, there is a national carbon dioxide shortage

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

And it is affecting breweries. Carbon dioxide has no taste, no odor, and no color — but it’s a vital ingredient in the beer business, from putting frothy bubbles in brews to blocking oxidization that makes beer taste stale. But … Continue reading →

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Beer gardens get jerked around

Posted on July 25, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

First, we had this. Saint Arnold Brewing announced Monday that it will temporarily close its beer garden and restaurant. The reason? Gov. Greg Abbott’s office ruled it is a bar, not a restaurant, and therefore should close according to the … Continue reading →

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Wineries and distilleries

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I’m happy to keep beating this drum, but I’d really rather not have to. The owners and patrons of Ironroot Republic Distillery in Denison hardly consider the business to be a bar in the traditional sense. There’s no loud music … Continue reading →

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The pause effect on bars and restaurants

Posted on June 28, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I feel terrible for them, but what could we do at this point? Ed Noyes was trying to get some shut-eye when he woke up to seven different texts Friday morning. Three of the five bartenders at his Fort Worth … Continue reading →

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One good thing that may come out of all this

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

We may get to keep booze to go sales. On Twitter Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott suggested to-go alcohol sales should be made available in Texas past the coronavirus pandemic. Texas restaurants will be allowed to open for dine-in Friday under … Continue reading →

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Coronavirus and beer

Posted on April 9, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Houston’s craft breweries are adjusting to life with closed taprooms and beer-to-go sales. The team at Saint Arnold Brewing sat down to taste some test beers one Wednesday morning, as its members do when they work on new releases. But … Continue reading →

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Beer to go is here

Posted on September 3, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! The highly anticipated beer-to-go legislation officially [went] into effect Sunday, and local breweries [celebrated] the occasion by offering up cans, growlers and crowlers of beer for visitors to bring home — a simple act that has been illegal in … Continue reading →

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Here comes beer to go

Posted on August 22, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! Starting Sept. 1, Texans will be able to leave brewery taprooms with a case of their favorite craft beer, and order wine and beer for delivery, thanks to two laws passed by the Legislature this year. Brewers and beer … Continue reading →

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Biking and breweries

Posted on July 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Actually, this makes perfect sense. This started off in the gray area between a good idea and a bad one. Two years ago, Jason Buhlman and Brian Kondrach got about 30 of their friends together for an afternoon of two-wheel … Continue reading →

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Saint Arnold’s silver anniversary

Posted on May 31, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

A very happy anniversary to them. There is nothing particularly unique about the start-up story behind Saint Arnold. [Founder Brock] Wagner, 54, had been working as an investment banker when he decided to chuck the suit and tie and try … Continue reading →

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We may actually get beer to go this session

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Well, what do you know? The Texas Senate restored a measure Wednesday allowing breweries to sell beer to go from their taprooms to a bill allowing the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to continue operating. It also approved a measure that … Continue reading →

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House liberalizes beer sales

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

It was a bit of shenanigans, but all things considered that seems entirely fitting. The Texas House voted Thursday to extend beer and wine sales on Sundays and to let craft breweries to sell beer to go. Those new expansions … Continue reading →

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A beer truce is declared

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Well, glory be. Beer brewers and distributors and have been battling for years over what can be bought and sold at breweries across Texas. This week, two key groups in the fight finally signed a truce. The Texas Craft Brewers … Continue reading →

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Is the craft brewing business in a slowdown?

Posted on January 26, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Item one. Alluring as those wide-open skies and rugged vistas may be, the hardscrabble life in West Texas can be unforgiving. And so it was last year for the region’s popular and award-winning craft brewer, Big Bend Brewing Co., despite … Continue reading →

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Time again for craft brewers to get their legislative hopes up

Posted on January 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

We’ve seen this movie before. I hope for a better ending, but I’m keeping those hopes modest. Texas is the only state in the country that prohibits some breweries from selling six-packs, bottles and growlers of beer to-go, but a … Continue reading →

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Beer for dogs

Posted on November 24, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We live in strange but wondrous times. When Megan and Steve Long tell friends and customers about their newest venture, Good Boy Dog Beer, more often than not, they’re met with the same three questions. One: Is it really for … Continue reading →

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The beer boom continues

Posted on September 9, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Raise a glass. 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 — … Continue reading →

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Beer delivered to your home

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Who needs groceries, am I right? Favor, founded in Austin in 2013, prides itself in delivering almost anything in under an hour. But until now, beer and wine — long the No. 1 request from customers — was among the … Continue reading →

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Microbreweries organize again

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Craft brewers are asking beer fans to put their money where their thirst is. Six weeks before state primary elections, the Texas Craft Brewers Guild on Monday launched a political action committee to raise money and awareness to … Continue reading →

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The year in beer

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It was pretty good overall for Texas craft brewers, especially in Houston. Texas craft brewers will close the books on 2017 having made more beer, opened more breweries and garnered more national recognition for the state than ever. Looking ahead … Continue reading →

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Microbrewery legal setback

Posted on December 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Kind of a lousy Christmas present. Three Texas brewers are going back to battle with the state after an appeals court reversed a decision that would have allowed them to sell their distribution rights for monetary compensation. In 2014, Peticolas … Continue reading →

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Buffalo Bayou Brewing to build new facility

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We remain in a craft beer renaissance. Buffalo Bayou Brewing Co., which launched nearly six years ago with a beer called 1836 honoring the date of Houston’s founding, is preparing to break ground on a $14 million brewery and restaurant … Continue reading →

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The taproom bill is in effect

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

And it’s lousy, as expected. The latest draft of beer legislation in Texas has left a bitter taste in the mouths of some craft brewers. HB 3287, which lawmakers passed during their regular legislative session earlier this year, requires craft … Continue reading →

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Weird taproom bill gets final passage

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. A bill that would force Texas breweries, once they’ve grown beyond a state-limited size, to sell and buy back their own beer before offering it in their own taprooms has now passed both houses of the state Legislature. “To … Continue reading →

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Weird taproom bill passes the House

Posted on May 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t understand this at all. The Texas House on Saturday voted overwhelming to place new constraints on craft breweries that grow beyond a set size or become acquired by a larger beer company. Supporters of House Bill 3287 also … Continue reading →

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Crowler conundrum concluded

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Finally. Mike McKim held an empty aluminum can under a tap and pulled the handle, filling the can with Real Ale Brewery’s Helles beer. He fitted a pull tab lid on top, slotted the can into his “crowler” machine, and … Continue reading →

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The craft brewers’ legislative agenda

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Same as it was last time. Now that the 85th Texas Legislature is in session, lobbyists for the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, the organization that advances the interests of the state’s craft brewers, are going to push for more. Namely, … Continue reading →

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Shiner’s caffeinated beer

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We return to an old favorite topic, caffeination of things that are normally not caffeinated. One of Texas’ favorite beer brands has released a new product to celebrate 108 years in business. Shiner Beer’s caffeine-laden Shiner Cold Brew Coffee Ale … Continue reading →

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A win for beer

Posted on November 26, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Hooray! All you want for Christmas is a crowler to go? It probably won’t happen that quickly, but an administrative judge’s recommendation could move the state a step closer to letting bars and restaurants sell takeaway beer in the sealed, … Continue reading →

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Anheuser-BuschInBev to buy Karbach

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

If you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em. Fast-growing Karbach Brewing Co. of Houston is the latest U.S. craft brewery to be acquired by a global beer giant, announcing Thursday morning that Anheuser-BuschInBev is buying it for an undisclosed amount. The … Continue reading →

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Chron overview of Heights dry referendum

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

For an issue that directly affects a few thousand people, this sure had gotten a lot of attention. [Bill] Baldwin is part of the “Keep the Heights Dry” movement, a group of individuals urging residents who live in the dry … Continue reading →

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The dry debate

Posted on November 1, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron hosted a mini-debate about the vote to change the Heights dry ordinance on its Monday op-ed pages. Bill Baldwin represented the status quo, for keeping the Heights (the original Heights) dry. With the stark reality of land use … Continue reading →

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