Craft Beer News
Grapevine Craft Brewery makes its beers a little harder to get
Quick, run, don't walk, to the market and get a six-pack of beer from Grapevine Craft Brewery, because they're about to become collector's items. The brewery will no longer sell beer at retail stores, restaurants, and bars.
According to a release from owner Gary Humble, the brewery will no longer sell its beers for distribution to wholesalers in the state of Texas.
"Meaning, our beers will now only be found in our taproom and beer garden in Grapevine," Humble says. "This was a hard decision, and one that was not made lightly. We value our customers and our fans. But at this time, it just doesn't make financial sense for us to continue distributing our brands at a loss."
Humble emphasizes that Grapevine is still brewing, with the taproom and beer garden open seven days a week, pouring specialty beers like Cherry Berliner Weisse, Single Hop IPA Series, and the new Red Wine Barrel Aged Imperial Brown Ale.
Humble sent out a release in response to a tweet from @Specs_Beer_Dept, which inaccurately announced that Grapevine was closing.
"The rumor mill has begun, thanks to a popular Texas retail chain, who made an error in speaking on behalf of our company on Twitter, [so] it's time for us to set the record straight," Humble said.
The brewery has had an eventful ride in its three-year history, dating to its early days when it brewed in temporary quarters in Farmers Branch. They're also still engaged in legal action to loosen restrictions in Texas against beer sales at taprooms.
"As some savvy consumers may know, we have linked arms with Deep Ellum Brewing Company in a lawsuit against unfair, and what we consider to be unconstitutional, practices, which prevent production breweries from selling beer to-go from taprooms," Humble says.
They're also continuing their contract brewing operations as North Texas Brewing Company, making beer for other Texas brewers, and forming partnerships such as the one they struck with Austin's Infamous Brewing in 2015; Humble says they're booked to capacity.
The Dallas-Fort Worth brewing scene has undergone an incredible boom in the past six years, with change as a constant, such as the recent acquisition of Revolver Brewing in Granbury by Miller Coors' craft and import division, Tenth and Blake Beer Company.
"It's no secret that the last year-and-a-half in our industry has revealed a whirlwind of mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances of large and small brewers alike trying to navigate a difficult and rapidly changing landscape," Humble says.