DEBC seeking handout to sue TABC

"No, I won't support your efforts to better the laws in our state because I hold an emotionally charged grudge against you for that time you offended me. Yes, I know this effort is at no cost to me and has the potential to benefit everyone state-wide but I don't care. Let me be angry with you."

 

They have already sold their distro rights- and they are not going to compete with their distributors (now partners).

DEBC has been pissed because they didn't sell their distribution rights in time. Jealous of you will of those who did.

Let's replace DEBC with JK in this discussion and people would empty their wallets. JK is doing that to help a single foreign brewery put, DEBC has already put $10k and is leading the charge on helping out all TX breweries.

Douches they might be, but I don't see anyone else doing anything about it right now.

 

Do you really think those breweries would not be selling their beers from their taprooms if they could? It does not change any distribution thing, they would jump on that opportunity.

 

While I am not a fan of some of DEBC history, this money is going towards fighting a lawsuit and not lining their pockets. It also benefits every brewery in TX.

I really think if this was literally any other brewery in TX, no one would be sitting here complaining about them asking for help.

 

For the record: I would make the same compliant if it was JK doing the same thing as DEBC is currently doing.

I am not going to give a donation to a business to fight laws that benefit them first, and may have a far-out benefit to me in the future (and albeit the benefit to me still results in a strong cash benefit to DEBC).

That being said, even if I could travel to JK for the event, I would not be buying a $50 ticket for a glass, 4 oz pour, and the possibility to maybe get a bottle (which would be more $ again). The cash value isn't there for me. Do I appreciate what they're doing? Sure, but I understand that JK will benefit more from this than everyone else. Good PR, doing something everyone appreciates, and (let's not kid ourselves) most of the cantillon that actually enters this state will probably wind up in their hands, which will only serve to increase their popularity and profit margins. All good things for JK and I'm happy for them, but I'm going to be selfish and keep my money.

However, that is my opinion. Others may not share it, and Jeff and the crew at JK are genuinely nice people that seem to go out of their way to be personable and helpful... so I just wanted to keep that opinion to myself. That, and I'll probably get jumped on now for saying anything that others may perceive as hateful to JK (which it is not in no way shape or forum).

DEBC does not come across the same way, at all. And I don't think anyone here reading this thread would argue with that. So much of PR and running a business is molding a public image, and DEBC just has not done a good job. You have to interpret stuff like this from their past actions - unfortunately that's just how this thing works.

I hope my post didn't come across as "angry", I didn't mean for it to. For the record, I am still pulling for them I hope they build a case and win...

But because this case mainly benefits the brewery first and won't affect my ability to walk across the street and pick up a 6 pack from the huge selection at my local retail outlet, I see no need to give them my cash. Especially seeming how they will recoup their investment 10-fold should they achieve their goal and win such a lawsuit. I have an issue with giving people handouts to support change that will result in a future cash flow for them... doesn't matter who's asking...

 

Screw this garbage brewery. I doubt change will happen and if it does, I won't thank them

 

You're losing sight of the effect a "DEBC win" would have. Would DEBC be able to directly sell to its brewery patrons? Yes. Would Lakewood? Yes. Would Austin Beer Work? Yes. Would every other brewery in Texas? Yes. Everyone would be recouping their "investment." It would also open the door for tiny, suburban operations to flourish. This is about things much bigger than DEBC gaining the ability to sell directly to consumers, which it seem lots of people are wrapped up in.

I have no problem with them asking for help to fund their litigation. It's not compulsory. Litigation is very expensive. This will be an expensive fight that they'll likely lose.

 

Why so much hate?

On a separate note, it looks like a lot here are confusing the issue to be that DEBC alone will benefit if that law passes. The bigger picture here (breweries able to sell direct to consumer) is getting lost only because it is DEBC that is spearheading this effort. Had it been JK doing the same thing, I'm sure there would be none of this noise.

 

Outside of this lawsuit stuff, how did DEBC manage to piss so many people off?
I feel like I can almost recall...but I can't.

 

Everybody makes a lot of good beer. There are hundreds of good breweries out there who make good beer and aren't entitled assholes.

 

Like a lot of the people here, I feel conflicted about this because I absolutely want to see beer-to-go sales from Texas production breweries, but am NOT a fan of how Deep Ellum does business. It's just really hard to support any movement led by them, especially when they're asking the general public to fund it. Now couple in the fact that Grapevine Craft Brewery has joined them and that's no alliance I'd want to be part of.

I would love to know how the folks at The Texas Craft Brewers Guild and Open the Taps feel about this whole thing, as well as Jester King, Freetail, etc. They have the experience navigating the Texas legislature and the TABC, and I'd be interesting to know if they think this lawsuit is helpful or detrimental to progress of beer laws in the state.

 

The only issue with JK and Freetail are that they are not production breweries but brewpubs. I think they would both prefer to have production breweries to sell, though, but it is not as big of an issue to them currently. I am sure if production breweries could sell, the new Freetail brewpub would get a brewery license...but I somewhat doubt JK since they would only be able to sell their own beer.

 

Totally understand that those two breweries wouldn't benefit from beer to go sales, but I do think it's telling that, in an industry that's all about community and support, only one brewery has chosen to rally behind Deep Ellum so far, and all of the more vocal members of the Texas craft beer industry, along with its advocacy groups have said...nothing.

It just begs the question, is the silence because nobody wants to publicly take sides, because this lawsuit could backfire on support for the industry's interests, or could it be that we'd be seeing a whole lot more support if this movement was led by a brewery with a better reputation...

 

That was exactly my reaction when I first saw the indiegogo page, and to be fair I didn't realize at the time that DEBC was behind it.

 

Nobody will help DEBC. Why would anyone want to work with a scub brewery? Any other brewery could do a better job gaining support.

 

Sure do. Lakewood's new taproom didn't come from hustling Temptress in East Dallas. It came from the profits of the distributor who hustles it all over the metroplex to every account hey have in the big truck with Lakewood Brewing on the side of it.

Don't bite the hand that feeds you.

 

On that note, interesting passage from yesterday's Houston Chronicle story on this, Saint Arnold's Brock Wagner on the record as not joining lawsuit.

Brock Wagner, founder and owner of Houston's Saint Arnold Brewing Co., has been active in many of the legislative efforts to amend the beer laws, and he agreed that the interests of consumers and the small craft breweries have been overwhelmed by the deep-pocketed lobbies with a vested business interest.

Wagner said he continues to support dock sales. And although he is not joining the Deep Ellum lawsuit, he said he sympathizes with the effort.

"You have a lot of very frustrated small businesspeople in this state," he said. "Not to mention consumers."

 

I have visited too many out-of-state breweries that allow to-go sales of packaged beer and have a huge distribution footprint - including Texas, to believe this would be the case. I don't think anyone on here is saying that breweries would stop using distributors. When breweries gained the ability to build a taproom and charge by the pint I found (most) breweries have priced their pints within $1 of what most bars charge for the same volume. When that happened, you didn't see any breweries stop distributing their beer because they could sell it at their taproom for more profit nor did you see any bars stop carrying a beer because it was cheaper at the brewery.

Regardless of how I feel about the lawsuit or going through Indiegogo, DEBC has some valid points when it comes to how distributors are impacted. Specifically, the more money a brewery has (read: makes in the taproom from direct sales), the faster they can expand to make more beer thus having more product for a distributor to push around. Economically speaking, this is good for everyone; however, the way it's being approached is not the right way to do it IMO.

 

didn't Stone crowdfund a brewery?

 

Open The Taps' members list "To-Go Sales From Breweries" as their #1 priority... and OTT gets it's money from donations by beer drinkers in order to achieve it's agenda... so aside from Deep Ellum being involved... how is this any different?

http://openthetaps.org/update-2015-session-3-10-15/