Sensible and Dumb State Beer Laws

Georgia also has a 14% ABV cap on beer which makes zero sense to me considering you can buy a bottle of Golden Grain in the same store that cannot sell 14% beer.

Having just come back from a vacation to Asheville, NC last week I was quickly reminded at how archaic the alcohol laws are in Georgia. We've made progress in the past decade but we still have a LONG way to go.

 

Mass's Brewery-Only Growler law.

If I use A LOT of my brain power to a point of pure discomfort, i can understand where they are coming from...

But other than that, such a stupid stupid law. I assume it's so law enforcement has to do less of their job?

Only other reason I can think of is a guaranteed "New Growler" sale the first time someone visits the brewery. But how the hell would that benefit the state of mass? Gotta be for the lazy cops.

 

When I lived in Los Angeles I drove everywhere. It felt like you could buy everything everywhere. Nips at the gas station with you're fill-up? Sure thing! Drive-through beer stores? Why not! Not sure if those were sensible or dumb ideas, probably depended on a case by case scenario.

In Vermont there's not happy hour, but places are free to have daily specials. I like it better this way.

 

Well, it's not just on the consumer end. It's been a long time, so this may have changed, but, back when I was an OTR driver on the east coast, PA had a law that said any truck carrying alcohol through the state had to have a particular state sticker. The company that I drove for had about 300 trucks at the time, and mine was one. I carried many loads of Budweiser from Baldwinsville NY to the docks at Newark NJ to be sent overseas. It made me a little sad.

 

I respectfully disagree with you folks. I like buying cases. There are lots of breweries making beers that i enjoy buying cases of. I prefer it to growlers and mixed six packs and singles and bombers and whatever. 24 of the same beer is fine by me, i just make sure to buy a beer that i know i'll enjoy 24 of, and there are plenty. When i want to try something new i go to the bar and order a pint if it's on tap. Maybe it's just me but that's my opinion and i'd guess there are other people out there like me. Cheers

 

RI: Hopefully changing any day...but currently our breweries cannot sell more than 72oz. Also, they can only give "tastings" in the breweries.

 

North Carolina: 15% ABV cap on beer, no alcohol sales between 2am and noon on Sunday, including restaurants, which means sober brunch. Sober brunch sucks.

 

It's protection for brand-owners. There's no law that explicitly bans growlers. The MA ABCC has decided that growlers are just like any other bottle, and selling your beer in a bottle with someone else's logo is illegal. At least that's what I think has happened--no one has actually made the rationale public.

 

The limit is now 7 (as of January 1), and it will be 9 in 2020.

 

In SC, you can have wine and beer tastings at the same time, wine and sprits at the same time, but not beer and spirits. No Sunday sales in certain areas. And like a lot of places, not retail liquor on Sundays, but you can get a drink in a bar (in certain areas)...I never understood that

 

I think it was certain parts of SC that couldn't mix drinks from regular bottles, they had to use the airplane bottles. The theory was that way, a bartender couldn't make a "strong" drink.

 

Is it a case that dumb laws just sit on the books until some people organise themselves into a group and approach legislators?

 

I believe they nixed that state-wide quite a few years back.

 

While it may now be an unnecessary/undesirable law go back about 70 or so years ago to when it was passed. All states were moving away from allowing no sales at all of any of several different brands of beer that were mostly a lot alike. There was no real variety compared to what we see now.

A political commentator named James Carvell once pointed out that politically, PA is Philly and da Burg with Alabama in the middle. Indeed, to this day PA is one of the most rural states in the US (outside of Philly and da Burg).

Now 70+ years ago would you rather have in place a law mandating beer sales by the case or no law in place permitting any alcohol sales (something that was a reality for several years in some states and is still a reality in some areas today, see the post by @Squire above). Keeping in mind that even thoughyou had multiple brands but much more limited variety.

Which would you choose?
1) A choice among limited variety by the case.
2) No choice at all.

Also keep in mind something often attributed to Otto von Bismark:
“Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best”

 

I'm with you on this one.

I regularly buy cases as part of my rotation and like not having to make multiple trips. (e.g., when it's released I'll have a case of Nugget Nectar to keep me happy, later on the Sunshine Pils comes out and a case winds up in my basement.)

For me the down side of the 12 pack law is that it is getting harder and harder to find a case of some beers. So I'm having to pay higher prices per bottle for the 12 pack or the case with 2 packs.

 

Usually the case that dumb laws sit on the books until legislators become motivated to change them. A group of organized voters can have an impact on their thinking, sometimes even more impact than lobbyists.

 

I'm sure it's been said elsewhere..

Montgomery County, MD

The county is the only distributor of alcohol besides microbreweries(a recent change). Liquor prices(at county stores) are good, but that isn't my thing. Beer - sold at private beer & wine stores - often is a week or two behind compared to other locations, plus the prices are bad too. People are trying to fight it - it is particularly bad for restaurants. At least they carry a lot more variety now compared to 4-5 years ago.

Oh and 2 or 3 grocery store locations total in the whole county are allowed to have beer. No convenience store beer.

I wish I could just grab a six pack while grocery shopping.

 

Government usually does exactly what they are paid (off) to do. Politicians in Indiana didn't come up with the idea on their own to not sell cold beer in grocery stores, have no liquor sales on Sunday, or block Binny's from opening a store here.

 

One does get rather spoiled, I must say!