Why Liquor Laws Suck Here
Give Me Alcohol, Or Give Me Death
by
Bianca Brown on Jun 24, 2010 in
Culture
Pennsylvania liquor laws, which are known for being stringent and difficult, have been called into question in recent weeks, leading us to wonder: is there hope for reform? Three bars were raided this past March in a dramatic, Prohibition-era fashion, with armed officers walking into the bars and removing the contraband boutique beer.
Leigh Maida, who owns with her husband Resurrection Ale House, Local 44, and the Memphis Taproom, testified this month that some of the beer brands taken were registered, but were not taken into account because of abbreviations and typos in the state registry. All beer brands must be registered with Pa.'s Liquor Control Board in order for the state to collect taxes and ensure product safety.
State officials say it is the responsibility of brewers, not bar owners or distributors, to register beer brands, which makes the case somewhat confusing. Legislators present at the hearing said that the registration process should be less complex. Some suggestions were placing bar codes on beer labels and using photos of beer labels in the registry to avoid confusion.
Maida and some lawmakers present said that sending state police was unnecessary. Liquor enforcement agents said they had issued a written warning for one of Maida's bars in late 2009. Perhaps sending unarmed liquor enforcement agents with one or two police officers, in case bar owners were hostile, would have been more appropriate? Was it cynical to think armed officers were necessary? Especially at a place that sells craft beer? Were the police bored? Who knows?
Some gripes with the state liquor code are that consumers can either buy beer in bulk (four six-packs) or in regular sizes from bars at much more expensive prices. You also can't buy beer at many supermarkets since take-out purchases are not allowed except from distributors.
Sheetz, the gas station/convenience store/take-out eatery attempted to sell beer last year, but had its beer confiscated when it would not allow for on-site consumption in its restaurant. This is a particularly stupid provision, as no one wants people hanging around drinking at a convenience store.
And even worse, in spite of the ease with which the PLCB can confiscate alcohol, it has the hardest time closing joints where people get killed, assaulted, sell drugs and their bodies, like the very dangerous Cheers Cocktail Lounge on 69th and Market. Why is that even a PLCB matter?
Update:
Leigh Maida, owner of the three bars raided by the PLCB, responded to this write-up with the following information:
"The PLCB came looking for a very specific list of unregistered beer that was culled from our online menus. They came because someone called in a tip that we were serving unregistered beer. This was done weeks (maybe even months) before the Pliny the Younger was due in Philly. The raids just happen to have been at the time the Pliny was in town. We had it, it was unregistered, but the PLCB was not looking for it, thus it was not confiscated. (They did take every drop of [Russian River] Supplication that we had, and it will now be destroyed because it was not registered at the time of the raids.)"
Thanks, Leigh, for setting the record straight. If anyone from the PLCB is reading this, I volunteer to perform the civic duty of 'destroying' the Supplication.
-Steve Wilfong
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