Prior to September 1, Texas was the only state in the country that didn’t allow beer-to-go sales at manufacturing breweries. But thanks to a compromise between the state’s brewers and wholesalers and the efforts of lawmakers, Texas beer drinkers are now able to take home beers from their favorite production breweries. This December’s Brewbound Live Winter 2019 business conference will bring together representatives from key parties — the Texas Craft Brewers Guild and the Beer Alliance of Texas, as well as a member of the Texas Legislature — to share how industry players in other states can work together to achieve legislative reform.
In Texas, years of gridlock between the state’s brewers and wholesalers was finally broken this past February when brewers and wholesalers reached a “stakeholder agreement” on reform, which unanimously passed through both legislative chambers.
Among those leading the charge was Adam DeBower, the co-founder of Austin Beerworks and a member of the Board of Directors for the Texas Craft Brewers Guild. In early 2018 he helped found CraftPAC, a political action committee advocating for Texas craft brewers, and helped modernize Texas’ alcoholic beverage code.
Joining DeBower at the negotiating table was Beer Alliance of Texas president Rick Donley, the principal lobbyist for the Beer Alliance, which represents one faction of the state’s beer wholesalers.
DeBower and Donley will be reunited on the Brewbound Live stage with Texas state Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, who introduced one of the reform bills. Each will share their perspectives on how brewers, wholesalers and lawmakers can achieve reform in their home markets. .
For some brewers, the change in the law is already making a difference, with some Texas brewers reporting a boost in sales.
In addition to a look at legislation reform, the Brewbound Live agenda will feature discussions on the state of craft brewing, evolving business models, beyond beer offerings, and the cannabis space, with more to be announced. These discussions will be led by leaders from Bissell Brothers, The Lost Abbey, Monday Night Brewing, Reuben’s Brews, Nielsen, and Kiva Confections.
Along with thought-provoking main stage conversations, networking and beer sampling, we’ve implemented both early-stage and advanced content starting on the first day. The program kicks off with Crash Course educational boot camp for early-stage breweries and Breakout Sessions for more mature companies.
We’ve also been told resoundingly that Brewbound Live would be more beneficial if it was easier to bring additional decision makers to network, solve problems and gain firsthand insights across the organization. So we’ve introduced new tiered production-based pricing that will allow you to bring more attendees to do more business.
Brewbound Live Winter 2019 early registration savings expire this month on Friday, October 25. Register today to save $200 per ticket.
Supplier and service companies interested in sponsoring Brewbound Live should contact Bryce McDonald about opportunities. Please visit brewboundlive.com for additional information.
About Brewbound
Published by BevNET.com Inc., Brewbound is a leading industry trade publication providing comprehensive information about the beer space, analysis of industry trends and in-depth interviews with industry leaders. In addition to providing daily news, Brewbound also gathers entrepreneurs and executives to exchange ideas, discuss the state of the industry and hear strategies for succeeding in the alcohol beverage segment via a series of nationwide meetups and multi-day business conferences.
About Brewbound Live
Brewbound Live is a multi-day conference for serious brewing professionals who are interested in engaging in high-level business discussion while networking with emerging and established players alike. The program features a hand-selected roster of industry experts and innovators who, through presentations and panel discussions, address trends, challenges and the future of the brewing industry.