Beer in grocery stores.

Kentucky's a bizarre maze of Wet/Dry/Moist counties, but luckily in Louisville, other than not being able to buy before 1:00 on Sundays, we're good to go.

 

Yes in TN, up to 5.0% ABW.

 

The majority of sales (other than the very few beers that come in under 4% ABV, which is equal to 3.2% ABW) are specially brewed* versions of beers from AB, MC and few other larger or local breweries to meet those states' restrictions, and are so labeled:



According to The Brewers Almanac (Beer Institute) for the latest year listed (2011), 1.9% of US beer was "3.2" beer, with more than half of that - 57% - going to Oklahoma and another quarter being sold in Utah. Close to 90% of all beer sold in those two states was "3.2".

* Or, given the common use of high gravity brewing
by the large brewers, probably "specially-diluted"...​

 

So you're saying Pokies have to slam down a 12 pack to catch a buzz?

 

From your helpful Wikipedia link: "New Jersey limits each chain to two licenses." So a municipality cannot grant Trader Joe's another liquor license because they already have two (Princeton and Westfield).

 

/thread

 

Alabama yes. Rouses has best selection, getting a Whole Foods so we shall see if Rouses remains a go to grocery or if Whole Foods will take the throne

 

I think that's the governing factor, but the municipalities also limit the overall number of licenses they will approve as well.

 

128 Fluid Oz. at any one time.

 

It's 192, not 128.

 

Except for correction of the errors.

 

i think a good question might be if we (the consumers) are pro or against this, on the plus side prices would probably be better but craft beer shops that have helped the industry develop and thrive would most likely have a very hard time.

 

I didn't say anything about a municipality being able to "grant" a grocery store a liquor license in opposition to NJ state law/beyond the legal limit of two for off-premise licenses. (Of course, the chains and co-ops have long found a way around that rule by having licenses in others' names and using the chain name as a 'dba' - thus Wegmans' many NJ stores, licenses of which are privately owned by members of the Wegmans family, or the BuyRite co-op chain).

Municipalities ARE permitted to prohibit licensed grocery/drug stores from selling beer along side their other goods. That's from the NJ ABC Handbook:

(Yeah, I trust over Wikipedia - which I noted was "relatively accurate" in relationship to a simple YES/NO(or "RARELY" for NJ) answer to the OP. They do seem off as far as the particulars go in several instances).

 

Yes, M!ch!gan! And the grocery stores around here have pretty decent selections for mix-six/single purchases, and have only expanded them in the past year or so.

 

Seems like in my part of NY (LI), they never sell anything above like 8 or 9% abv...

 

3.2 beer in session states! Yikes, I remember in Virginia way back when 3.2 and 6.4 had different colored caps, the 3.2 for 18-21. It was a joke and it sure seemed like the same beer to me. Maybe not, but everyone bought the 6.4 anyway. That's a blast from the past. We figured that if you drank twice as many 3.2s you'd get fatter, but just as drunk.

 

Ive always thought that, but i was at a fairway in bergen county the other day, and the beer was in the same isle as the, trailmix and stuff, and I checked out at the main register. Same thing with an A&P up there, thought that was a little odd since i always though they had to have an attached "store".

 

I don't think it would really hurt many small beer shops. I don't notice a difference here in Los Angeles. If I want a 6 pack of very select beers, or if I am shopping and decide I want something I pick it up. The vast majority of my purchases come from various bottle shops around town though. Same with my meat products. I typically buy from the butcher that is near my apartment. But if I am at the store I will buy cheaper meat if I am just getting Hamburger Helper or something. Both the butcher shop and the bottle shops are both thriving in business despite having large chains near them that sell their items for cheaper.

Now if the grocery store had the same selection as the craft beer store, then we would have to look at the impacts there, but as of right now, a good 80% of shelf space is dedicated to BMC and their import brands.

 

Except some Trader Joes do have liquor that you can buy at the normal register