This week in, The Brew! We are gearing up for our first trip to Denver next week for the Great American Beer Festival to cheer on all of the Texas breweries competing so we will not have an article next week but be sure to follow us on Twitter @TexasBeerGuide because we will be Periscoping live from the festival. Once we return we will have a full recap of the festival including a rundown of all the Texas breweries bringing home medals. Until then we have a lot of great news coming from Texas. This week, we talk about Texas’ only beer festival dedicated solely to Texas craft beer, we talk about a couple of north Texas breweries suing the TABC and we talk about an Austin bar that is defying the TACB and their ban on Crowlers. Check it out now in this week’s edition of, The Brew!

Austin – This Saturday the Texas Craft Brewers Festival returns to Austin. It is the only festival dedicated solely to Texas craft beer and is organized by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild which promotes Texas craft beer, educating the public about the qualities and attributes of craft beer and advancing the common interest of Texas craft brewers. The festival will bring together over Texas 60 breweries from all across the state and for many, this will be their first time showcasing their beers in Austin. This will be a great chance to meet the brewers and owners of your favorite breweries and wish them the best as many of them get ready for the Great American Beer Festival. Tickets are still on sell but they will not be available so get them now. If you can’t make it out to the festival or want a few beers before heading to the festival, be sure to stop in at Craft Pride which will also be hosting the official festival after party and will be tapping special releases starting at 1pm. For tickets and more information, please click here.

Texas – While it might seem like a battle between David and Goliath, a couple Texas breweries are ready to take on the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Don’t underestimate the little guy, if you will remember it has only been a little more than a year since the laws were changed to allow Texas breweries to sell beer for on premise consumption. This time north Texas brewers Deep Ellum and Grapevine Brewing are suing the TABC because they want the right to sell beers to go directly from the brewery. Many agree that it is unfair that wineries and distilleries are allowed to sell directly to the public but breweries are only limited to selling pints to be consumed on location. While the breweries are ready to battle, this fight is not going to be cheap. Yesterday, Deep Ellum launched an IndieGoGo campaign to help them raise the funds for legal costs which they have dubbed Operation Six-Pack. They are looking to raise $100K and so far they have raised almost $23k. This is expected to be a long fight but the breweries and confident as the lawsuit gains exposure. As you may recall we reported earlier in the year a group of Texas breweries sued the TABC over their laws for Distribution Rights. This lawsuit is still ongoing but hopefully many will take notice to the archaic laws that the TABC enforce and join Texas breweries as they fight to change the laws.

Austin – While breweries are battling against the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission over rights to sell beer directly to the public and distribution rights, Austin’s Cuvee Coffee is staring down the TABC over their ban on crowlers. Crowlers are 32 ounce cans of beer that is sealed at bars with the Crowler canning machine. This is a great alternative to glass growlers as it allows consumers to take their beers to places where glass is not welcome and it is also better at keeping beers fresh longer. In July, the TABC ruled that Crowlers were banned because it was considered repackaging beer and only breweries can package their products. To Mike McKim, owner of Cuvee Coffee, TABC’s interpretation of the law. He has vowed to refuse TABC orders and has even made t-shirts that read “Come and Take It” with and image of a Crowler machine. McKim is ready to be taken to court because he believes there is no difference between growlers and crowlers. Many are standing behind Cuvee and they have seen an increase in customers getting crowlers filled. We will be watching for any updates and hope that TABC comes to their senses to life the ban on crowlers. Click here to order your t-shirt and stand with Cuvee.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

This week in, The Brew! This post is coming late because the website was compromised and hackers took the page down but we’re up and running. The summer is coming to a close and hopefully soon we will get cooler temps. Festival season is coming up, along with fall beer releases. Mentioning beer festivals, we have a lot coming up. This week we talk about a beer festival doing down in Houston , we talk about a beer festival in Dallas and let you know how you can show off your homebrewing skills at an upcoming Houston homebrew competition. Check out now in this week’s edition of, The Brew!

Houston – This Saturday the Untapped Festival returns to Houston brewing another great line up of beers and awesome bands to make the festival complete. The festival descends upon downtown Houston at the Discovery Green Park with 275+ beers from over 70 breweries. The Cold War Kids are the musical headliners to cap off the event but may will be focused on the beers. We can only expect a great day for the festival organizers who have found success in bringing the festival to Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Ft. Worth. Tickets are still available but they could sell out at any moment so be sure to get your tickets soon. Click here for tickets and more information.

Dallas – For those that are in need of a beer festival but live in north Texas, the 5^th Annual Dallas Observer BrewFest is taking place Saturday evening at the Dallas Farmers Market. Enjoy samples of over 350 types of beer from breweries around the globe including a very impressive collection of Texas breweries. Live music will keep attendees entertained and local restaurants will be selling food but if you are lucky enough to snag VIP tickets you will get score catered food and liquor samplings. Something that is causing a lot of buzz bout BrewFest is this will be the first time a beer festival will have growler fills from Lone Star Taps & Caps. Before you get too excited, you cannot bring your own growler. They will have a special growler for sell on site and it will set you back $25. Click here for tickets and more information.

Houston – The Dixie Cup homebrewers competition is coming up soon so hopefully you brewers have your beers ready. Early entries are Saturday the 19^th with the final deadline for Saturday the 26^th. The Dixie Cup is one of the nation’s oldest homebrewing competitions and is noted for its great mix of irreverent fun and its seriousness about beer. It was founded by Houston’s Foam Rangers homebrewing club. Each year has a unique theme. This year the theme is “CHIXIE CUP!!!” The gals of the club have taken over all the leadership roles of the competition and have selected the Special Beer Category. You must be a Foam Ranger member to partake in the events so sign up today. Click here for more information.

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers.

This week in, The Brew! Summer is coming to a close and before we know it fall will be bringing in cooler weather along with fall seasonal beers and of course Oktoberfest. We have a lot of great things to look forward as the season start to change. This week, It’s Labor Day weekend and were talking about Texas’ latest brewery to open their doors to the public this Saturday in Cedar Park, we talk about a great art and beer event in Austin, we talk about a three day beer festival down in Galveston and lastly, we say thanks for everyone that came out to the book signing in Austin. Check it out now in this week’s edition of, The Brew!

Cedar Park – This weekend, IronSight Brewers opens their doors for their long awaited grand opening. Founded by brother-in-laws Robert Chaney and Grady Reynolds, IronSight is housed in the former space where Twisted X Brewing Company started before they relocated to their current location in Dripping Springs. This weekend guests will get to try their four core releases Amber Ale, IronSight Cream Ale, Oatmeal Pale Ale, White IPA as well as a few specialties brewed just for this big event. If you didn’t get your tickets yet then you are out of luck because the grand opening is officially sold out. For those lucky enough to attend, the party will take place Saturday from 12-4pm. Mission Dogs will be selling food and Bear Creek Wilderness will keep the crowd entertained. If you didn’t get tickets fear not, IronSight will host brewery tours on weekends coming soon. Until they are able to expand their production, their beers will be limited to the brewery and a few select accounts in Cedar Park and Leander, with Austin coming after production expansion. Congratulations to Robert and Grady on opening their brewery and we wish them all the best!

Austin – Craft beer is an art form and this weekend local Austin artists will display art inspired by 20 local breweries. Art of the Brew is the crossroads of contemporary art, craft beer, music, and food. This one-day event demonstrates the connections and influences these creative communities have on one another and encourages greater collaboration between them. Inside artists will showcase their art while breweries will be setup outside in the beer garden pouring samples of their artfully crafted beer. The event takes place at the Canopy Arts Complex, on Saturday from 3-10pm. This event is free and open to the public but they are suggesting a $20 donation to assist offsetting the cost of the event. This will be a great chance to meet the breweries and check out some of the state’s latest breweries. Click here for more information.

Galveston – This weekend, the annual Brewmasters Craft Beer Festival descends upon Galveston once again for the 3 day event. The festival is centered around two big events, the BrewLicious Brews and Foods Pairing and BrewHaHa Grand Tasting. The BrewHaHa Grand Tasting is for those who are coming down for the beer. The event takes place Saturday from 3-6:30pm and features Over 400 beers from over 80 breweries. The BrewLicious Brews and Foods Pairing event will take place Sunday from 5-8pm and will bring together professional chefs and featured restaurants pairing specialty beers to compliment the delicious food. Tickets are still available so if you are still looking for Labor Day plans there is nothing better than a weekend on the beach along with a beer festival thrown in. Click here for tickets and more information.

Austin – On August 21^st I had the pleasure of hosting a book signing for “Beer Lover’s Texas: Best Breweries, Brewpubs and Beer Bars” at BookPeople in Austin. I met a lot of great people and I would like to say thank you to everyone that came out and purchased the book. A huge thank you to Rahr & Sons Brewing and Infamous Brewing for coming out and pouring samples of their great beers. It was a fun evening and it was a very special moment to finally share the book with you all. I have booked a signing in San Antonio coming up in November and I am currently in the works of putting events together in Houston and Dallas. Thank you all for the continued support!

As always, if you’re looking to get out this weekend we suggest you visit a local brewery, don’t forget that we have a list of all of the breweries near you so head over to the Breweries and Brewpubs page and go support your local brewers