We are Texas, and our Star shines bright.
As of December 31, 2011, Texas was home to 71 licensed small craft breweries (which, for the purposes of my analysis, include breweries less than 75,000 barrels of annual production, up from 47 just a year earlier. That number includes 34 brewpubs (up from 28 at year end 2010) and 37 production breweries (almost double from the 19 licensed production breweries at the end of 2010). in 2011, Texas small craft brewers produced 130 thousand barrels of beer, compared to 93 thousand just the previous year.
The growth of our industry has been amazing and has not gone unnoticed, yet I submit to you the following proclamation: we are underachieving.
31 Texas counties are home to a small craft brewery, but that’s out of 254. Not good enough.
That 130 thousand barrels produced by Texas small craft brewers? That represents a paltry 1.2% of the craft beer industry and a pathetic 0.06% market share in the overall US beer market. Not good enough.
Those 71 small breweries? We still rank 46th in breweries per capita in the US. Not. Good. Enough.
Since I only speak on behalf of myself and my brewery, I won’t call the following list a set of goals. Instead, let’s call them a challenge.
By 2015, I challenge Texas to the following:
- Be home to 160 actively licensed small craft breweries.
- Produce 250,000 barrels of beer from small craft breweries.
- Have a small craft brewery in 40 Texas counties (this one is admittedly harder, since breweries tend to open in more populated areas, for obvious reasons).
These three challenges are achievable, but it will take the effort of numerous parties. To be successful, I’m challenging the following groups to do their part.
- Texas Small Craft Brewers: your challenge is obvious.
- Texas beer distributors: you are our ally in the growth of the industry, and our growth cannot happen without you. Commit to carrying and featuring Texas brands.
- Texas beer retailers: you are the front line. Abandon the old school way of retailing beers and the intimidating walls of industrial light lager. Give brewers a fair and equitable display with no unfair preference to brands who kick you illegal incentives. Provide consumers easy, clear access to the brands they want.
- Texas Legislators: you are challenged with the task of establishing fair, competitive industry reforms that allow Texas small craft brewers to grow their brands. That means allowing production breweries to establish tasting rooms and sell directly to consumers on premise and allowing brewpubs to sell into the wholesale tier. There is almost $1 billion in economic impact at stake for helping Texas meet the 2015 Challenge (based on my annual Economic Impact Study – latest version to be published in March/April).
- Texas beer consumers: you have the best job in achieving the challenge. Continue drinking and supporting Texas small craft brewers.
Together, we can do this. Share the message of the 2015 Challenge with friends, colleagues, industry members, and anyone you know who cares about Texas Craft Beer.
Drink Beer, Save Texas.
