Texas lawmakers have proposed legislation to allow direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping for breweries in the state in the latest effort by craft brewers to seek parity with wineries, which are allowed DTC in most states across the country.
Last week both House bill HD 59 and Senate bill SB 752 were introduced in the respective chambers. The companion bills propose to legalize direct-to-consumer shipping and delivery from Texas breweries and brewpubs. The bills have been called the “Beer To You” bills and are being supported by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild.
Currently, breweries and brewpubs are prohibited from engaging in home delivery, shipping, or even working with third party delivery apps to pick up from their facilities but Texas wineries, grocery stores, liquor stores, and restaurants already are allowed legal pathways to get their products delivered directly to customers’ doorsteps.
The wine industry successfully lobbied over a 10-year plus effort to pass legislation state by state to allow wineries to ship wine directly to consumers. Today, most states allow DTC for wine but only a few allow DTC for beer.
Ironically, Texas was the last state in the country to legalize take-home sales from breweries, and if these current bills were to pass, Texas would be one of the first in the country to succeed in passing DTC legislation for beer. Similar legislation in other states has led to vigerous opposition from beer wholesalers.
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