BRYAN, Texas — When bars were forced to close down once again back in June, Blackwater Draw Brewing Company thought a rollback in reopenings could be a possibility, but predicting another shutdown doesn't make it any easier to deal with.
“The really frustrating part is that we have not heard one thing from the governor and we’ve been closed for a month," said Chris Steele, a co-owner of the brewing company. "There has not been one word from the governor as to when we can open back up.”
Blackwater Draw Brewing Co. makes most of its revenue through its taproom. According to Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order closing bars, a taproom falls under the closures because it makes more than 50 percent of its income from alcohol sales.
“It seems the 51 percent rule has really been a punch to the gut to breweries, wineries, distilleries and bars," Steele said.
The Texas Craft Brewers Guild said the shutdown could result in some serious losses and permanent closures.
“Someone who might be interested in their beer can go right down the street to a restaurant or another business that is currently operating and get a margarita or a beer there," said the deputy director of Texas Craft Brewers Guild, Caroline Wallace.
The brewers guild surveyed 87 breweries across the state. They found that one in three establishments don’t think they will make it past three months under the current conditions. Two in three breweries in Texas believe they won’t be able to make it to the end of the year.
Only 14 percent responded they think they can last longer than a year if the current closures remain.
According to the survey, breweries have been forced to lay-off or furlough about 36 percent of their workforce.
“That’s pretty horrifying to think about by this time next summer our industry can be really a shell of what it is today," Wallace said.
Texas Craft Brewers Guild is asking the state to allow taprooms and other 51 percent establishments to operate with the same guidelines as restaurants and other businesses allowed to stay open.
“Our members really were taking this seriously and stand ready to take this seriously going forward," Wallace said. "I would put them up against any other industry and their commitment to safety.”
Blackwater Draw Brewing Co. is able to sell its product through manufacturers and to-go orders, but it doesn’t give them the confidence they’ll stay up and running.
“We operate on a thin margin and we use our taproom to make that profit up to carry us through," Steele said. "Without that, I don’t know how long we’ll last. We’re struggling.”
The Bryan-College Station brewing company asks the public to continue buying local and placing to-go orders at breweries during this uncertain time.