Texas Brewers in the News

March brought a lot of coverage for Texas brewers, with most focused on the direct sales bills pending before the State legislature:

• "Tiny brewers thinking big: Move would allow them to sell beverages at their plants," Houston Chronicle
• "Microbreweries want consumers to be able to buy beer at breweries" (also appearing as "Heads up: Microbreweries want Legislature to clear the way for sales on site"), Fort Worth Star-Telegram, along with the accompanying video piece, "Brewers want to sell beer at the brewery"
• "Beer drinkers could purchase direct from local breweries under compromise plan," TexasWatchdog.org
• "Regulation, legislation and fun you can't have with Texas beer," Austin American-Statesman
• "Souvenir beer: We'll drink to this bill!" Houston Chronicle editorial
  

In other news, Lee Nichols featured an interview with Mike Renfro and his book, Shine On: 100 Years of Shiner Beer, in the Austin Chronicle piece, "Shiner at 100: Spoetzl Brewery."

Also, Saint Arnold's North Texas sales rep Kendra Harrell was briefly profiled in the Dallas Observer food blog "City of Ate" as "10 Questions: Kendra Harrell."

Texas Homebrew Club Report

Just as we recognize Texas microbreweries and brewpubs, the Texas beer industry also owes a debt to the legions of active homebrewers in this state. To make sure that each club receives its share of recognition on this site, this annual Texas Homebrew Club Report will be posted every year at the time of the largest homebrew competition, the Bluebonnet Brew-Off (March 21st).

Total: 19 local homebrew clubs

North Texas

Cap and Hare Homebrew Club (Fort Worth)
Horsemen of the Hopocalypse (Fort Worth)
Knights of the Brown Bottle (Arlington)
North Texas Homebrewers Association (Dallas)

Central Texas

Austin Zealots (Austin)
Bexar Brewers (San Antonio)
Brewers of Cove and Killeen (BOCK) (Killeen)
Hill Country Homebrew Club (Austin)

West Texas

Ale-ian Society (Lubbock)
Basin Brewers Homebrew Club (Midland)
Big Country Homebrewers Association (Abilene)
Wichita's Only Real Tasty Suds (WORTS) (Wichita)

East Texas

Bay Area Mashtronauts (Houston)

Brew Bayou Homebrewing Club (Clute)
Cane Island Alers (Katy)
East Texas Brewers Guild (White Oak)
Foam Rangers Homebrew Club (Houston)
Kuykendahl Gran Brewers (Houston)

South Texas

Bay Area Society of Homebrewers (BASH) (Corpus Christi)

(512) Brewing Spring Open House

(512) Brewing will hold their Spring Open House on Saturday, March 21st, from 2pm to 5pm at their brewery facilities in Austin. This open house will include a live local band plus the release of their newest beer, the (512) Alt.

Second Yard House to Open in San Antonio

A second Texas location of the California-based beer bar chain Yard House is scheduled to open in San Antonio by October. The new bar will be located on the north loop at The Shops at La Cantera shopping center.

Originally scheduled to open by March, the Houston location of the Yard House at CityCentre has been moved back to December.