Crafting art Mixed media exhibit encourages creativity See insert Friday, February 18, 2011
News 1, 2 Sports 4 Classifieds 3 Games 3 Scene see insert
Volume 97 | Issue 16
Sunny 71° / 61°
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
State microbrews could be on tap soon BY DREW GAINES Senior staff writer
NEWS: Willis rare book room showcases collection Page 2
SPORTS: UNT falls to South Alabama Page 4
ONLINE: Mean Green softball team prepares for tournament
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Local beers could soon be flowing in Texas bars and retail stores pending legislation that would allow small-time brewers to market their craft like never before. Brewpubs and microbreweries across the state are getting behind Texas House Bill 660 as it makes its way through the 82nd legislature. The bill, written by Rep. Mike Villarreal of San Antonio, would allow local beer crafters to sell their brews to bars, retailers and distributors in Texas and abroad. “T hat w i l l be t remendous,” said Yianni Arestis, the co-founder of Armadillo Ale Works, which is set to become Denton’s first brewpub. “There are new opportunities for additional revenue and to remove restrictions that make Texas brewpubs not as competitive.” The U.S. beer market was worth $101 billion in 2009, according to the Brewers Association. More than $7 billion of that came from sales of small craft brews. With only 23 independent brewpubs, Texas ranks 47th nationally for breweries per capita. What separates a brewpub from a larger brewery such as Spoetzel, which makes Shiner Bock, or Rahr and Sons in Ft. Worth, is its size and the amount of beverage it produces. Brewpubs are smaller, independent and home-grown operations that churn out less than 10,000 barrels of beer annually. Unlike breweries, brewpubs in Texas can only sell beer on location, whereas a brewery can sell
PHOTO BY DREW GAINES/SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Beer drinkers could have more homegrown options by summer, pending the approval of Texas House Bill 660, which would allow small Texas “brewpubs” to distribute their beer to bars and retailers both state and nationwide. beer to bars and retailers virtually anywhere but at the brewery. The current law has stirred craft brew activists across Texas to call for a change at a time when the brewpub business is booming in other states. Places like California and Colorado put fewer restrictions on brewpubs and brands there have ventured out of state to stores in Texas, for instance, the second largest beer consumer in the United States, according to the
National Institute of Health. “We see that there is a definite demand for it,” Arestis said. He and his business partner Bobby Mullins have linked up with other craft brewers to encourage the bill. They held an HB 660 rally two weeks ago at the Hydrant Café in Denton. Others, such as Freetail Brewing Company of San Antonio, Uncle Billy’s Brewery and NXNW Brewery, both from Austin, have joined together to
create the organization Texas Beer Freedom. The group has held rallies around the state and talked with legislators concerning the law. The fate of the bill will not be known until mid-summer, after its contents have been debated by legislators opposed to increasing access to alcohol in the state and others who see it as an economic opportunity. For start-ups like Armadillo Ale Works, the bill is key to being able
to order a Courthouse Common or a Texas Wheat beer in a venue other than Denton. Arestis and Mullins are currently talking with investors with their sights on opening a brewpub near the new A-train station downtown. “We like Denton, and we went along with its culture and feel. The city needs a brewpub,” Arestis said. “The beer gets brought across the room instead of being trucked across the state.”
UNT uses defense to stop USA BY BEN BABY
Senior Staff Writer
PHOTO BY JAMES COREAS/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Parking garage on the corner of Avenue A will be completed mid July.
Garage opening delayed BY CANDICE LINDSEY Staff Writer
The completion date for the parking garage under construction at the corner of Highland St. and Avenue A has been delayed because of the recent winter weather. Officials said the Highland St. Parking Garage, originally projected to be completed midJuly and would open in time for the start of fall classes, a date that coincides with the scheduled opening of the new Business Leadership Building adjacent to the garage. “The goal is to have them both fully operational at the beginning of the fall semester,” said Joe Richmond, the interim director of Parking and Transportation Services. The seven-story garage is expected to include 953 spaces and house new, centrally located offices for Parking and Transportation. Open for use by faculty, staff, students and visitors alike, the new garage will operate in the same way as the current Union Circle parking garage, Richmond said. “There will be hourly rates and there will probably be semester or annual rates,” Richmond said. “The semester and annual rates are still under discussion — the main thing is hourly and long-term [rates].”
Parking permits will not be valid within the garage, and the cost is still being evaluated, Richmond said. Richmond said UNT is looking to change the way parking works on campus to make it more efficient and work in conjunction with current transportation services. As surface parking lots get replaced with academic buildings and resident halls, Parking and Transportation recognizes new parking is needed. Richmond said it is important to build up, not out. “We’ve been losing surface lots and we’re going to replace all of those, and there will be a net gain with this parking ga rage,” R ich mond sa id. Landry Lewis, a criminal justice senior, said he likes seeing UNT tackle real issues that students have stepped forward to identify. “By addressing these [parking] problems, UNT will not only help to fix a growing problem for many students, they will show the students and the outside community their sincere desire to be a top tier public university,” Lewis said. UNT officials said they are meeting weekly with contractors to ensure the process continues to move along smoothly.
Coming into Thursday night’s contest against the University of South Alabama, a return home was exactly what the UNT men’s basketball team needed. The Mean Green snapped a four-game losing streak, defeating the Jaguars 82-79. It was the first win for UNT since its win over Arkansas State on Jan. 22. The victory gives the Mean Green a 6-6 record in Sun Belt Conference play. Senior guard Dominique Johnson said he believes UNT can make the most of its season. “It’s the perfect time to get right back on track,” Johnson said. “We have four regular season games left and then it’s tournament time. This is a good way to go into the tournament, 5-0 with some confidence.” Coming off the bench, Johnson contributed with 14 points, including a crucial 3-point basket late in the game for the Mean Green (17-8, 6-6). Senior guard Josh White displayed strong leadership in the second half, scoring the team’s final eight points. White, who finished the game with 13 points, went six for six from the free throw line, with the attempts coming in the closing minutes of the came. In the first half, the Jaguars (10-14, 4-9) shot over 60 percent from the field. That number decreased in the final 20 minutes, as USA had a 53.7 shooting percentage in the second half. “I thought from start to finish, we were probably better tonight [compared to previous games], but I thought we were really good in the second half,” head
PHOTO BY JAMES COREAS/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Forward Jacob Holmen gets blocked by South Alabama during Thursday night’s game at the Super Pit. coach Johnny Jones said. Trailing by five at the halftime break, UNT came out of the locker room with a renewed sense of energy, overtaking Southern Alabama with 10:56 left in the game. “In the second half, when we needed to make stops, we made them, and that’s why we came out with the victory,” senior guard Tristan Thompson said. Thompson helped carry the Mean Green in the second half,
scoring 13 of his 18 points after the break. During the four-game slide, UNT allowed 83 points per game. Despite allowing 79 points, it forced 12 turnovers. “Everybody’s going to have to pick it up defensively, and I’m in that category, and that goes for the whole team, too,” Thompson said. UNT will look to build on its win when it faces Louisiana-Monroe at 7 p.m. on Saturday.