Uncle Billy's Advances Due To Texas Craft Beer Law

Craft beer sellers in Texas are rejoicing after a bill passed that will positively influence their businesses.

Governor Rick Perry signed the Texas Craft Beer Bills, ending the 20-year battle between small brewers and wholesale distributors in Texas. The law will now grant Texas packaging breweries the right to sell their products to consumers on their premises. This means tastings and even smaller bars will pop up at Texas-based breweries. The law also allows breweries to directly sell its craft beer to wholesalers and beer distributors.

According to a press release, Uncle Billy's Brew & Cue of Austin is immediately taking advantage of this new law. Opened in 2007, Uncle Billy's offers award winning, handcrafted beers and slow-smoked Texas barbeque. Its signature beers use the finest barley and aromatic hops and are always served at the peak of freshness. Now, the Barton Springs-based brewpub has plans to expand production volume and expand its capacity to brand in Austin. It also intends to begin selling 16-ounce cans of its craft beer through a small distributor and kegs to on-tap Austin bars. All of these advancements will increase employment. They will also work toward fulfilling a 2012 Texas Craft Brewers Guild study finding that within one decade, the Texas craft brewing industry's economic impact could reach $5.6 million annually.

"The effort and energy it has taken to get to this point is remarkable," said Rick Engel, co-founder of Uncle Billy's, "but we are enthusiastically looking forward to the growth ahead and to being able to bring the great craft beer that Uncle Billy's has always been known for to people who want it."