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Y'all know by now that I'm obsessed with craft beer, especially beer produced in the great nation of Texas. But my nation feels a little less great right now because of this stupid, unfair rule that's affecting many, I'm sure.

Saint Arnold Brewery Company in Houston recently posted on Facebook about a very unfair and ridiculous rule which forces Saint Arnold's Beer Garden & Restaurant to "include all of the beer we sell to our distributors as if we were selling it to you at our restaurant."

What?

Saint Arnold's distribution is huge. Go to any beer store in town and you'll find a 6-pack of Lawnmower at least (very tasty and highly recommended). So of course it'll come out to more than 51 percent. It probably comes out to 99.9 percent.

I thought Texas was at least pro-business, if not pro-super basic logic. Clearly the distribution and beer garden are separate from one another. If you think this ruling is as ridiculous as I do, you can voice your opinion here.

I'm 1,000-percent for safety and slowing the spread of the 'rona, if only because things damn well better be back to normal in time for Halloween. But unfair is unfair. Period.

Here's Saint Arnold's entire post:

Update on our Beer Garden & Restaurant operations:

Sometimes government bureaucracy comes to ridiculous conclusions. This is one of those times.

The governor's office has abruptly decided that in calculating whether our Beer Garden & Restaurant sells at least 51% alcohol (determining if we are a "bar" or "restaurant"), we have to include all of the beer we sell to our distributors as if we were selling it to you at our restaurant. This defies all logic and common sense. The result is that beginning today we will be returning to only curbside service for food and beer to go at Saint Arnold. This could cause the loss of 75 jobs at our Beer Garden.

We have an ask for you: please politely and respectfully let Governor Abbott know this is absurd. Please ask him to allow us to calculate the 51% based on our restaurant operations alone. You can contact him online here (https://gov.texas.gov/apps/contact/opinion.aspx) or tweet at him at @GovAbbott and @GregAbbott_TX.

We have worked hard to create one of the safest dining experiences in the state: waiting an extra two weeks to reopen, restricting ourselves to only outdoor tables, increasing spacing, and instituting strict safety protocols. We have received much positive feedback for our efforts. Even if there is another shutdown which seems increasingly likely, it is critical that we get this interpretation changed.

In the meantime, we have several delicious special release beers coming out this week. We encourage you to come by and pick them up at our drive thru. Say hi to our team through your mask, order some of our tasty food, and stay safe! Place your online order here: https://www.toasttab.com/saint-arnold-beer-garden-restau…/v3

We appreciate your support.

Cheers!

Brock Wagner
Founder/Brewer

PS: The Texas Restaurant Association has put together a handy email on this same issue: https://p2a.co/NIBlWbe?mc_cid=590c13bd1a&mc_eid=cf4c9d9838&fbclid=IwAR1EjR4HWGaDwT_6z8qotVYfCBzCpbDj1EPMQjtL6bC47N-tQvK5n7ONzlY


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