TABC Label & Brewery Approvals Oct 31, 2014
On most weeks, TABC releases what labels have been approved for sale in Texas. Every beer that is sold in Texas has to go through this process before you can see it on store shelves. It is a way to see what will be coming into the Texas market before it shows up at your local bottle shop. The time frame between showing up on the label approval list and hitting the shelves could be anywhere from a day to a couple of months out.
The same can be said for breweries. The brewery approvals tend to be even further out. Every brewery sold in Texas has to go through the same process to get approved by the TABC. Once they do this, they can then get labels approved.
This week, I decided to add a little more information to each approval. After each label, I have indicated what they have been approved to sell in. They are as follows:
K = Keg
B = Large format bottle
b = Small format bottle
c = Small format (12oz) can
C = Larger format cans
Here are this week’s releases:
903 – Crackin Up Pecan Porter (B)
903 – Land of Milk and Honey (B. K)
903 – Blonde Ale (B)
Abita – Bourbon Street Imperial Stout (K)
Abita – Chocolate Weiss (K)
Abita – Select – Shem Wet Hop Ale (K)
Abita – Select – Twin Turbo (K)
Bearded Eel – Berry the Nibs Imperial Russian Stout (K)
Bearded Eel – Oak Wizard Oak Aged Triple (K)
Bearded Eel – Wizard Status Double Rye IPA (K)
Birra de Borgo – Bdbbi(g)bodyibu Ale (K)
Birra de Borgo – Del Borgo Hoppycat Ale (K)
Birrificio Baladin – Lune (B)
Birrificio Baladin – Terre (B)
Birrificio Del Ducato – Baciami Lipsia (B. K)
Birrificio Del Ducato – Beersel Mattina (B. K)
Birrificio Del Ducato – Chrysopolis (B. K)
Birrificio Del Ducato – De Decato Framoschella (K)
Birrificio Del Ducato – Brettpeat Daydream (B. K)
Birrificio Del Ducato – My Blueberry Nightmare (b)
Boulevard – Harvest Dance Wheat Wine Style Ale (B. K)
Breckenridge – Barrel-Aged 72 Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout (B)
Bridgeport – Mettle & Mash Fresh Hopped IPA (K)
Brouwerij Alvinne – Wild West (B. K)
Brouwerij Van Steenberge – De Garre Ale (K)
Community – Barrel Aged Legion RIS (b, K)
Four Corners – Saison Beer (K)
Four Corners – Steam Beer (K)
Four Corners – Wee Chingon IPA (K)
Freetail – La Muerta Imperial Stout (B. K)
Freetail – Texicali Brown Ale (b, K)
Goose Island – Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout (b, K)
Inglemunster – Pumpkin Ale (K)
Kasteel – Blond Belgian Ale (B. K)
Kasteel – Cuvee du Chateau Belgian Ale (b, B. K)
Kasteel – Donker Belgian Ale (b, B. K)
Kasteel – Hoppy Belgian Pale Ale (B. K)
Kasteel – Rouge Belgian Ale (b, B. K)
Kasteel – Tripel Belgian Ale (b, B. K)
Kasteel – Winter Belgian Ale (b, K)
New Belgium – Felix and Rampant (K)
New Belgium – Le Rangoir (K)
New Belgium – Nitro Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout (K)
New Belgium – Porch Swing (b, K)
Oasis – London Homesick (K)
Oasis – Pub Series – Donnell’s Christmas Ale (K)
Odell – Silver Anniversary Ale (K)
Odell – Wolf Picker Experimental Pale Ale (b)
Odell – Woodcut 8 Barleywine (B, K)
Oskar Blues – Icey Pale Ale (C)
Peticolas – The Big Lestoutski Milk Stout (K)
Peticolas – Sledge Hammer Ale Double Imperial Red (K)
Peticolas – Beyond A Reasonable Stout Dry (K)
Real Ale – Brewers Cut Helles Lager (b, K)
Real Ale – Brewers Cut Kriek Ale (b, K)
Real Ale – Brewers Cut Oyster Stout (b, K)
Real Ale – Brewhouse Brown Ale (b, K)
Real Ale – Devil’s Backbone (b)
Real Ale – Fireman’s #4 (b, c, C)
Real Ale – Four Squared (c)
Real Ale – Full Moon Rye (b, K)
Real Ale – Hans Pils (c)
Real Ale – Lost Gold (b)
Real Ale – Rio Blanco Pale Ale (b, K)
Real Ale – Sisyphus Barleywine (b, K)
Real Ale – White Beer (c)
Seguin – 9-Pin Kolsch (b, B, K)
Seguin – Honey Pecan #5 Cream Ale (b, B, K)
Seguin – Oktoberfest Ale (b, B, K)
Sierra Nevada – Barrel Aged Narwhal (B, K)
St. Louis – Fond Tradition Kriek (b)
Texas Ale Project – Fire Ant Funeral Ale (K)
Texas Ale Project – Naked Truth Ale (K)
Texas Ale Project – 50-Foot Jackrabbit Ale (K)
Twisted X – Double IPA (K)
Twisted X – IPL (K)
Twisted X – Pale Ale (K)
Twisted X – Saison (K)
Twisted X – Stout (K)
Widmer – Saison A Fleurs (B, K)
Widmer – Altbitter, Ale Aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels (B, K)
Widmer – Craftylicious (B, K)
Widmer – Erradical (B, K)
Widmer – Fizz (B, K)
TABC Brewery Approvals:
Spencer Trappist Brewery – MA
Urban Family Brewing Company – WA
Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Company – Cedar Park
Funkwerks – CO
A couple things to take from these releases:
1) Seguin Brewing Company – There is yet another new brewery in our region that plans on opening soon. They are located (obviously) in Seguin, so about an hour drive from Austin. Through these approvals, you can tell that they plan to be bottling and kegging their beer. It makes sense for Seguin Brewing Company to be making a pecan beer considering Seguin claims to have the world’s largest pecan in their downtown area.
2) Real Ale – All of their label approvals are for beers that have already been on the market for some time. It appears that they are going to be getting some new designs for all of their cans/bottles. Every time something like that changes for a label, breweries have to get new label approvals for that beer.
3) Funkwerks – Finally. For those who do not know Funkwerks, they are located out of Fort Collins, CO and make great beers. Their flagship is their Saison, but they make many other Belgian inspired ales. Expect them to be hitting the shelves in Texas early next year.
4) Twisted X – It seems like Twisted X is having some more fun with their brewery. They are branching out to more styles which you can see here with some Double IPAs, India Pale Lagers and even a Saison. Along with these, they recently put a new pumpkin beer into barrels at the brewery, so that one will be on the horizon as well.
5) Barrel Aged Beers – This approval has some heavy hitters in this area. These include the Bourbon County Coffee, Barrel Aged Narwhal, Breckenridge Barrel Aged 72 Imperial Chocolate Cream Stout, and Widmer’s Altbitter aged in whiskey barrels. I guess it is just that time of the year for these (not that I am complaining).
