What are beer laws and beer selection like where you're from?

I've lived in Kansas my whole life so I kind of get amazed when I leave the state.

First off, we couldn't buy alcohol here on Sundays until only a couple of years ago, but at least we've come past that.

Convenience stores and grocery stores are only allowed to carry 3.2 beer and no liquor.

Bars can't be open later than 2am.

Liquor stores cannot sell non-alcoholic drinks or food or anything other than lottery tickets. So no, BevMo and total wine and those places don't exist. No soda pop, no glassware, no club soda, nothing but beer, wine, and spirits.

I don't know the specifics on microbrewery laws but we only have 2 microbrewpubs in the Wichita metro area (3rd one coming!). After going to the Phoenix metro area this seems incredibly low

Craft/premium beers are somewhat hard to come by. There are a few good sized stores that specialize in beer, I've been in 3 in the metro area. Local liquor stores usually carry some SA, Sierra Nevada, and of course some AB/Coors "premiums". There is a good selection of Boulevard locally!

My girlfriend recently moved to AZ and I am flabbergasted at the selections that even your Wal-Marts have! I think it's time to relocate.

So how is it where you're from?

Montgomery County, MD. Worst place to buy beer.

Since the end of Prohibition, Montgomery County has operated as a "Control Jurisdiction", like many states, however it is the only county in the country to do so. In the adjacent MD counties, you can buy beer at a gas station, but here you can only buy liquor at the county stores and you can only buy beer at designated "beer/wine/deli" locations that are only quasi-independent. The county gov't operates a warehouse and distribution system for all the booze in the county. They are the only legal distributor and hence all restaurants, bars, and retail outlets must purchase alcohol through the county. The county adds numerous fees, and taxes, including a 28% "special order" fee which applies to most craft beers.

As a result, most craft beer and fine wine here in Montgomery county is typically either unavailable, or double the price of the same exact product in DC or northern VA. This racket brings about $20million+ annually into the county's general fund, and the 100% democrat county government will never relinquish that power and control.

Grocery and convenience stores do not know what alcohol is here. You travel 10 minutes across the river to Virginia, and you find a mecca of craft beer, and it's available anywhere water is sold!

In WI we have it pretty good. Some excellent brewpubs, microbreweries, and a good selection just about everywhere. Just about every corner gas station will carry New Glarus and Capitol brewery stuff- at least some of their brews, anyway. And you can buy from 8 am till 9 pm- midnight in some places. Bars can be open between 7 am till 2am.

Newfoundland Canada.
Poor selection of imported craft beer and imported beer in general, although some major euro brands are avalible. Nothing except Sam Adams from the states.
Convinence stores have cold beer between 9 AM to 11 PM 7 days a week and some stores have liquor with the same hours 7 days also.

In Ohio you can buy everything everyday except you can't buy wine or liquor until 1 PM on Sundays. Not sure why this is but it seems to be the only restriction we have. Anyone can sell beer, wine and low proof liquor (CVS, grocery stores, gas stations, etc). Only liquor stores can sell hard liquor, but we have liquor stores in our grocery stores. Liquor stores can sell any products they wish (food, mixers, soda). Bars close at 2:30AM. Seems like Ohio has good laws surrounding purchasing of alcohol...I've never had any problems getting it. Now if we could just legalize something else

Newfoundland Canada.
Poor selection of imported craft beer and imported beer in general, although some major euro brands are avalible. Nothing except Sam Adams from the states.
Convinence stores have cold beer between 9 AM to 11 PM 7 days a week and some stores have liquor with the same hours 7 days also.

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Last time I went to Canada I was shocked at how expensive the alcohol is. Couldn't find anything decent. Just some regular beers and it was $50 a case....and that was for Labatts or Molson I think. It's been a couple years but I know it wasn't a premium beer. I guess that's what happens when you have free health care.

In nova scotia, you can pretty much only get beer at the provincially owned stores, the exceptions being a few privately run "boutique" type liquor stores, and the breweries in the area (labatt, sleeman, and a few great micros). Import/craft selections are pretty crap, especially at the main stores. The fancy ones have better selections of Belgians and stuff, but not much American craft brews.

Most bars close at 2, but some clubs and stuff are open later. Liquor stores open from 11am-10pm Monday-Saturday, and 11-5 on Sunday's

regular swill here goes for $44 a 24 case and as far as I know, we are the most expensive here in Canada. Have a look http://www.nlliquor.com/products/productsearchresults.asp

We were in Niagara Falls....I know it's probably a little more expensive in the tourist area and the dollar was really weak a couple years ago. I bring my own alcohol to Canada now.

I just looked at the link you posted.....Bud Light Lime is only $24.98 a 12 pack.....LMFAO

buckeyebrewer said:

Last time I went to Canada I was shocked at how expensive the alcohol is. Couldn't find anything decent. Just some regular beers and it was $50 a case. I guess that's what happens when you have free health care.

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Depends where in Canada you went. Quebec is cheaper, nova scotia is on the expensive side. But yes, beer here is generally more expensive that in the states

Here in south central PA we're kind of hit or miss because we have some GREAT local craft brewers but also some ridiculous laws. I've got Troegs, Victory, Weyerbacher, and a ton of other local breweries nearby with some great beer.

The laws, however, leave a lot to be desired. A store that can carry cases of beer can NOT sell in any quantity less than a case of 24, nor can they sell liquor or wine. A store that sells wine/liquor can NOT sell beer. A store that sells six packs and/or individual bottles must also have a restaurant on premises, and can not sell beer in larger quantities than two six-packs at a time (I'm sure it's broken down to actual volumetric quantities, but I think a general rule is 2 sixers).

I still get a pretty decent selection of beer available to me, but unfortunately taxes and high operating costs for owners cause pricing to skyrocket. $12-13 for a "standard" craft beer is not unheard of. The local shop sells 22oz beers for anywhere from $6 at the cheapest upwards of $15-$20 depending on the rarity and style. A local shop has Duvel Tripel Hop for $26.50 per bottle

New York City

I have it pretty good here, other than the taxes.

Bars are open until 4am. Liqour stores can sell anything, but usually don't have beer for some reason. Supermarkets, deli's and gas stations can all sell beer and some wines, just no liquors. The only Sunday restriction is no alcohol before 12pm, stupid, but not that big of a deal.

Seems like the laws a tweaked based on the village orders within the county. A couple villages over from me, the grocery stores can not sell any alcohol after 10pm. The village where I work, if you are in a restaurant and order a bottle of wine to share between 2 people, the bottle can not be kept at the table. Only 1 alcoholic beverage per person is allowed.

In another county, there is one town where the stores are not allowed to hold a liquor license. There is only one liquor store in the town and that is your only choice. This was because the owner of the liquor store was the mayor years ago and he fixed it so he had no competition .

When you get down state, there is at least one county I know of that goes mostly blue on Sundays. The only place you can buy alcohol on Sunday is in an Applebee's.

The laws are very relaxed outside of drunk driving (which I have no problem with) and the selection is near infinite. I can't get anything by Founders though. That sucks.

buckeyebrewer said:

In Ohio you can buy everything everyday except you can't buy wine or liquor until 1 PM on Sundays. Not sure why this is but it seems to be the only restriction we have. Anyone can sell beer, wine and low proof liquor (CVS, grocery stores, gas stations, etc). Only liquor stores can sell hard liquor, but we have liquor stores in our grocery stores. Liquor stores can sell any products they wish (food, mixers, soda). Bars close at 2:30AM. Seems like Ohio has good laws surrounding purchasing of alcohol...I've never had any problems getting it. Now if we could just legalize something else

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Can you guys buy Everclear yet? I'm originally from Dayton and always had to drive to Indiana to get it.

my small town in missouri has two liquor stores that are also sporting good stores so you can go in get a pistol some bullets and fifth. We all grew up thinking that was normal but when you go other places and tell people they think your lying!!!

man i didnt realize how good i had it. im from carson city nv. everything is legal here; furthermore widley excepted! gambiling, prostitutes, booze. and cheap too. a handle of jack usually runs around $24. a 12 pack of guinnes is about 15 bucks and so on. in fact the last gun i bought was a revolver from a sporting goods store. i asked for a particular revolver, the man went in back and handed it to me and said "when your done with your shopping you can bring this to any register" i proceded to walk around the store with my merchandise and finish shopping. then i went to go check out and purchase my new 44. revolver. i didnt get a single strange or concerned look. rather i was complimented on my selection.

not to say i partake in sleeping with prostitutes or boozing on hard liquor. but god bless freedom.

hoodweisen> yep thats a typical saturday afternoon for most of us out here actually. if you go to california, people s!#t bricks over that kinda stuff.

buckeyebrewer said:

In Ohio you can buy everything everyday except you can't buy wine or liquor until 1 PM on Sundays. Not sure why this is but it seems to be the only restriction we have. Anyone can sell beer, wine and low proof liquor (CVS, grocery stores, gas stations, etc). Only liquor stores can sell hard liquor, but we have liquor stores in our grocery stores. Liquor stores can sell any products they wish (food, mixers, soda). Bars close at 2:30AM. Seems like Ohio has good laws surrounding purchasing of alcohol...I've never had any problems getting it. Now if we could just legalize something else

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I grew up in Cincinnati and while there is good variety, Ohio caps ABV in beer at 13.99%, no really big brews. Sc is similar but that cap is lax. We can easily find Avery Meph, The Beast, BrewDog Tokio... Florida has the best laws in the union on beer distribution IMO

snowveil said:

Here in south central PA we're kind of hit or miss because we have some GREAT local craft brewers but also some ridiculous laws. I've got Troegs, Victory, Weyerbacher, and a ton of other local breweries nearby with some great beer.

The laws, however, leave a lot to be desired. A store that can carry cases of beer can NOT sell in any quantity less than a case of 24, nor can they sell liquor or wine. A store that sells wine/liquor can NOT sell beer. A store that sells six packs and/or individual bottles must also have a restaurant on premises, and can not sell beer in larger quantities than two six-packs at a time (I'm sure it's broken down to actual volumetric quantities, but I think a general rule is 2 sixers).

I still get a pretty decent selection of beer available to me, but unfortunately taxes and high operating costs for owners cause pricing to skyrocket. $12-13 for a "standard" craft beer is not unheard of. The local shop sells 22oz beers for anywhere from $6 at the cheapest upwards of $15-$20 depending on the rarity and style. A local shop has Duvel Tripel Hop for $26.50 per bottle

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I went to Duquesne and thought it was pretty odd that you could only buy beer by the case... like that's going to reduce consumption or something. I did kind of like it because buying in bulk made things cheaper. I know PA has some wacky blue laws when it comes to alcohol, but compared to Montgomery County, MD the prices and availability were all much much better. Last time I was in Pittsburgh, I found a bar on the South Side that specializes in craft beer!

I remember driving over to the WV border with my fraternity brothers to buy grain alcohol for parties. That stuff is legal in MD, and I use it in my airlocks!

I've been stationed in Utah for 10 years now. There are some pretty strange laws, but it was relaxed quite a bit as of a couple years ago.
Can only by booze in a state liqour store.
Beer is limited to 3.2%
Homebrewing was illegal. (now repealed)
Can't buy a keg of beer.
The bar area in a restaurant had to be seperated by a wall from the "family areas" (now repealed)
Had to order food in a restaurant to be allowed to order alcohol.
Bars were illegal, but the law allowed "members only clubs". So basically you paid a cover and were given a membership. (now repealed)

Here's the twist. Since I have base priviledges, regular "strong" beer is available as well as alcohol. You can even get a keg of beer, but you can't legally take any of it off the base. Of course everyone does anyway cause its cheaper than buying at the state liquor stores. Just don't get caught off base with a keg.

To get craft beers, since I usually drive down to Vegas a couple times a year, I always load up the car at Lee's Discount Liquor and bring it back. Course if they catch me I hear they can take it all

Craft brews in Walmart in AZ?? Maybe if you count Blue Moon as craft! I've been to many other places and for the 6th largest city in the nation our beer selection is awful. Granted it seems to be getting better with TWM and Bevmo around but if you go to a liqour store or a grocery store out here and try to find some craft you have maybe half a dozen choices at best. Unless you go to Sprouts, AJs, TWM, or Bevmo our beer selection seriously sucks.

Acoma said:

Craft brews in Walmart in AZ?? Maybe if you count Blue Moon as craft! I've been to many other places and for the 6th largest city in the nation our beer selection is awful. Granted it seems to be getting better with TWM and Bevmo around but if you go to a liqour store or a grocery store out here and try to find some craft you have maybe half a dozen choices at best. Unless you go to Sprouts, AJs, TWM, or Bevmo our beer selection seriously sucks.

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That really does suck. We just had a new grocery store open near us and they have 500 different beers and 400 different wines available. The buyer at the grocery does a great job and brings in obscure Belgians, a huge selection of 22oz beers....there's always something there I've never heard of.

I'm in Oregon you don't even want to know how good we have it here(beer selection)
hard alcohol is only in state liquor stores open 7 days
but we just had the laws change so we can know share and transport our homebrew

Las Vegas is one of the most lenient places in the country. You can buy alcohol 24/7/365 all over the place with ABVs up to at least 75% (Everclear, Bacardi 151, etc). You can carry and drink open containers in public and public intoxication is completely legal.
Alcohol is banned at most public parks, but it is rarely enforced unless somebody is causing problems.

Since Minnesota is the state that brought us prohibition, it isn't too alcohol friendly.
All liquor over 3.2%ABV must be purchased at at liquor store. You can't purchase anything over 3.2 after 10pm any day. On Sundays, you can purchase 3.2 beer after 12pm.
No Sunday liquor sales, but they may change that as everyone jumps over the border if needed. They have finally noticed that missing 300M annually in tax revenue may make a difference in their budget defecit.

Bars have to close by 2am generally. Many municipalities require 1am closing.

Thats all I know off the top of my head.

Anyone else notice the more Liberal the state the less the government dictates what people can do? Pick the issue.

Am I the only one that notices that?

Acoma said:

Craft brews in Walmart in AZ?? Maybe if you count Blue Moon as craft! I've been to many other places and for the 6th largest city in the nation our beer selection is awful. Granted it seems to be getting better with TWM and Bevmo around but if you go to a liqour store or a grocery store out here and try to find some craft you have maybe half a dozen choices at best. Unless you go to Sprouts, AJs, TWM, or Bevmo our beer selection seriously sucks.

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Walmart in tempe had four peaks kilt lifter. The real excitement was frys. Blew my mind buying a bomber of arrogant bastard with my groceries

jaycount said:

Walmart in tempe had four peaks kilt lifter. The real excitement was frys. Blew my mind buying a bomber of arrogant bastard with my groceries

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I used to get Root 100 at Fry's. 100 proof root beer liquor in a grocery store? Sure thing.

jaycount said:

Blew my mind buying a bomber of arrogant bastard with my groceries

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AB in the bottle is good. AB on tap is f-ing awesome! I guess I am a little spoiled when it comes to AB. They have it on tap at the bar across the street from where I work, and it is only like $4 during happy hour for a 32-ouncer.

I went to college/grad school at the University of South Dakota, which is in Vermillion, SD. Beer was prevalent there (we had like 15 bars in a town of 10,000 where 8,000 of that were students and all of the gas stations/walmart had beer) but liquor was another story. The city of Vermillion was in charge of handing out off-sale liquor licenses, which were required to sell bottles of booze. The city also owned their own liquor store. And conveniently, nobody else had an off-sale license... That said, bottles of booze were typically $5-10 higher than in other, larger, cities.

city ordinance here: you can't serve boiler makers or any sort of beer+shot combo drink.

its an anti-binge drinking ordinance...college town.

malkore said:

city ordinance here: you can't serve boiler makers or any sort of beer+shot combo drink.

its an anti-binge drinking ordinance...college town.

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Strange... that doesn't make sense.

I almost forgot about one Kansas law: no happy hours because it encourages binge drinking. I have to admit it does make sense

I live in Alaska and the beer is great. I don't buy much beer there since I make my own. But there are quite a few breweries and there is good beer. There aren't a lot of stupid laws regulating alcohol. However, out in some of the really remote villages in Alaska, alcohol is completely banned. But I don't know who would want to live out there anyways. But it's pretty old school out there. They aren't the typical towns like you'd find anywhere else in America. No alcohol is allowed at all. Can't make your own or anything. The people that live out there are typically the native Americans. Alcohol seems to develop into a huge problem out there. If somebody is causing problems with their drinking or they've been caught with it a few times, they get voted out of their village. I don't know exactly how it works, but they can be forced to leave and go to a place where alcohol is allowed like Anchorage or Fairbanks. That's why, if you ever come to Anchorage, you'll notice the overwhelming bum problem we have. Bums on every corner. Usually the Eskimo type people.

Currently, I'm TDY to Oklahoma which just happens to be my home state. Oklahoma has the worst beer in the USA. It's all 3.2%. That law is ridiculous and way outdated if you ask me. But as a result, good beer companies do not want to ship their beer to Oklahoma. They don't want to mess with all of the stupid laws and ridiculous regulation. The only places that will make beer especially for Oklahoma, Utah and Kansas, are the BMC beers. We can get a few others like Blue Moon. But it's ridiculous. I hate the beer here. I have four, full kegs on tap back home. I hope my wife and her silly friends don't drink it all before I get back.

BendBrewer said:

Anyone else notice the more Liberal the state the less the government dictates what people can do? Pick the issue.

Am I the only one that notices that?

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I think you mean the opposite. I live in the Liberal Utopia of Montgomery County, MD, and the government assumes total monopolistic control over alcohol distribution, limiting selection and availability, and increasing the price of everything at least 30% over adjacent jurisdictions.

The laws.... confusing and a cluster ****

The selection: probably the BIGGEST without a doubt of LIQUOR/WINE/BEER under one roof of ANYONE that posts here guaranteed. I'm in Houston (4th largest city) so it wouldn't surprise me. I lived in AZ (6 months ago) and in California for 23 years.

BendBrewer said:

Anyone else notice the more Liberal the state the less the government dictates what people can do? Pick the issue.

Am I the only one that notices that?

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Sorry, you've got that wrong.

In Alberta, Canada here.

First you won't find any alcohol in anything but a liquor store, so no gas stations, grocery stores etc. Liquor stores are private and fairly prevelant and can be open 7 days a week until 2am. Liquor stores can stock all forms of booze including wine, beer and hard liquor.
Prices are ridiculously bad compared to most states a 24 pack of swill on sale will cost you at least $40. Most stores don't carry very many exotic beers but there are 2 in my city of around 800,000 people that have a massive selection of Belgians and micros but they are extremely expensive due mainly to massive alcohol taxes.
Bars are open until 2am. The worst part of our liquor laws are the "anti-binge drinking" laws recently brought in which make it illegal to sell a pint of beer for less than $3.75 or any shot for less than $3, the only effect it seems to have on binge drinking is making it a lot more expensive.

I live in Holland (originally from UK). You can buy beer in a store from the age of 16 and I think you can drink in a bar at 16.

Bars have variable opening times, but are generally open 'til 1am and you'll most find somewhere to drink to at least 3am. Stores though don't tend to open late outside of the big cities.

Beer is available pretty much anywhere - it's more difficult to think of where you can't get it. If I take my kids to their swimming lesson, I can get a beer at the pool while I wait. Last weekend, I took them to a playground and I could get a beer there.

Selection depends on where you are. Regular cafes and restaurants typically serve Euro-versions of BMC, but will typically have a few Belgian options.

There are quite a lot of beer stores which have incredible selections, although they tend to be Belgium focused. Where I live there are three or four bars which each have a couple of hundred options; again, dominated by Belgians on the whole.

If things get really desperate, I can drive to Belgium which is only about an hour away....

Weizenwerks said:

Sorry, you've got that wrong.

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I wanted so bad to comment on that little gem, but didn't want to bring the conversation that way.