A collaboration between two breweries seems pretty innocuous on the surface. Two (or more) breweries get together, make a beer, and then sell it to the public. Business as usual. A “collab” is really an excuse for friends in this industry to hang out for a day, usually excites fans of each brewery, and can be a way for a smaller brewery to get their name out to a larger audience.
Sounds fun right?
Well we’re here to tell you that the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission hates fun. More specifically collaborations between breweries. We have been anticipating sharing our collaboration we made with Bruery Terreux, Minor Miner Grisette, with the great state of Texas, but as of Monday, July 30, Texans will not be able to purchase this beer in state.
We admit a mistake was made when the incorrect labels featuring our script logo meant for Bruery Terreux’s distribution areas outside of Texas were delivered to our Taproom and a few select retailers on Monday, July 30. However, during the process of rectifying that mistake, TABC instructed Bruery representatives to also pick up kegs of the product, as this product was now considered illicit. What is still unclear is why kegs were also picked up, but we hold a shared belief with Bruery Terreux that this represents paranoia on the part of TABC that Bruery representatives were purposefully not forthcoming with information regarding this beer and were trying to fool the commission. According to correspondence dated May 15, 2018, Bruery representatives answered a request for information from TABC regarding the “Foeder with Friends” logo and were forthcoming that Minor Miner was made with the help of creative input from “brewers located in Fort Worth, TX”. Also in that correspondence, it was made clear that all facets of the beer and label design were produced in house at Bruery Terreux and that the “Foeder with Friends” logo was a trademarked asset belonging to Bruery Terreux. On May 24, 2018, Bruery Terreux received label approval from TABC for both 1PT 9.4FL OZ bottles and 5.16GAL kegs for Minor Miner with the labels pictured below.
Bottle Label approved May 24, 2018 by the TABC
Keg Collar approved May 24, 2018 by the TABC
For our part, we have been made no guarantees by Bruery Terreux, are not profiting from the sale of this beer by Bruery Terreux, and have not and will not receive any direct compensation or benefits from Bruery Terreux.
The TABC’s stance on collaborations between Texas brewpub license holders and production brewers has been a point of contention for the last 2 years, specifically with our friends at Jester King Brewery. We agree with Jester King’s stance that TABC censoring information regarding the making of a beer (I.e. who made it) is a violation of First Amendment rights and that we should be able to, without fear of censorship, disclose to our consumers how a beer was produced.
This instance represents a new move by the TABC to further censor and limit access to products that meet all of their standards, are licensed to be sold in the state, and were approved by their own auditors. With the pull back of both draft and package of this product, it is our belief that the TABC has overstepped their regulatory abilities and are attacking a brewery’s ability to do business in our state. This is a small instance in the history of a commission that lacks oversight, repeatedly attempts to intimidate small business owners, and unjustly affects business activities that are legal and well within the guidelines put forth by the state.
So we’re here to say that we are unhappy that we haven’t been able to share Minor Miner with all of you. This beer represents so much for our small business; Our first collaboration with friends who we respect and believe in, a chance to share a beautiful piece of art with our long time supporters, and a nod to tradition with the choice of brewing a Grissette. We’re working with Bruery Terreux, the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, and other industry members to attempt to fix this situation so that you can enjoy this beer with us soon. We simply can’t stand for the TABC’s poor interpretation of tier system laws and will not let them censor information we believe is vital to disclose to consumers.
Fight on,
The Collective Brewing Project
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