Food + Drink: Jester King Brewery Sues TABC

Jester King Craft Brewery has announced it is suing the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The brewery claims that sections of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code violate the First and 14th amendments of the United States Constitution.

The brewery and two co-plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment in federal court this past Wednesday.

A press release from Jester King reads, "Under the Code, we are not allowed to tell the beer drinking public where our beer is sold. We are also not permitted to use accurate terms to describe our beers."

The press release goes on to state that under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, Texas breweries should be able to sell their products directly to the public (as wineries currently do) and that the lawsuit challenges the state's requirement that every foreign brewery that would like to sell beer in Texas obtain a separate license.

This past legislative session, several bills intended to give breweries rights similar to those of Texas wineries died because they were left pending in committee.

Click here for the full text of the press release at the Jester King Craft Brewery Website.

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