Notable June Releases-DC/NOVA

MD gets jolly pumpkin, a store in odenton has a ton, total wine has some too usually

 

i'd be surprised if Jolly Pumpkin doesn't start distro in Northern Virginia very soon.

 

Was just at Perfect Pour, they have cans of Double Duckpin dated 6/1.

 

Where are the dates on Union cans? I just picked up some DDP on my lunch break in MD and can't find dates. Julian date somewhere?

 

The date on mine was not on the cans, it was a sticker on top of the plastic.

 

Same.

 

What's wrong with MoCo?

 

Just the distribution laws, the pricing and the snobbery. I can say that last part since I live there and b/c it is true.

 

Is there any particular reason the distribution laws are different in MoCo?

 

$$$. The county plays middle man and distributes everything. So, there is an additional tier/layer on all alcohol. All restaurants and shops have to buy from the county. In addition to the mark-up, you also pay the tax. Plus, the accessibility isn't great as liquor sales are only in limited locations.

It's easier to buy in DC or just go to PG/Howard County depending on where you live.

 

Well I don't really need liquor at the last minute, and county store prices for liquor are pretty good I'm told. I only drink an occasional bloody mary and dark and stormy so it isn't a big deal for me.

 

Doesn't mean all of us who live there are.

 

True. But this article sort of sums it up

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/02/AR2010110206383.html

 

I think you could have picked a much better article.

Orange-Mocha Frappuccino time!!!!

 

LOL! Probably true but when googling "Montgomery County" and "snobbery" there are just too many results to sift through.

 

I'd pay the premium, to an extent, for convenience. But, the availability and selection isn't what it is elsewhere in the area. That is the biggest disappointment. That has to be tied to the county laws. It happens to be easy for me to hit DC/PG, so that is where most of my shopping $$$ goes for beer. For liquor buys, I don't purchase enough to make it a big deal. My wife also buys plenty of wine and crafty/BMC beer purchases in the county to make up the difference.

 

I have friends who enjoy buying occasional bottles of scotch, and apparently the sales and prices at Montgomery County stores are pretty damn good for that..I would never spend that much on liquor so I wouldn't know.

 

Oh yeah, Montgomery County has great prices for liquor and wine, its just beer that gets marked up like crazy. I have stopped trying to understand their damn laws. Obviously, there is no one on the County Council or at the Dept. of Liquor Control that enjoys drinking good beer if you ask me.

 

Besides the super efficient 4 tier system, the DLC places a huge markup on "special order" stuff (check table 7 in the below link for percentages). It's f'ing crazy, and I honestly don't know why anyone would want to open a nice bottle shop in MoCo (props to Downtown Crown). I would assume that a lot of craft beer is going to fall into the "special order" category within the County.

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OLO/Resources/Files/2015_Reports/OLOReport2015-6.pdf