PLCB raids bars in Philly for serving beer not on approved list

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bonzombiekitty

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A few days ago, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board raided three popular bars that specialize in serving craft beer - Memphis Tamproom, Local 44, and Resurrection Ale House, after receiving anonymous complaints. What were these complaints you ask? Front for prostitution rings? Drug sales? Loud Noise? Selling one type of cheap alcohol and saying it's a different more expensive type? Nope.

Turns out that in order to sell beer at a bar in PA, it has to be on a list of registered beers. These three bars were selling beers that weren't on the list. So the PLCB raided the bars, seizing over $7000 worth of beer that wasn't "on the list".

Except there's a couple problems here. The beer that was seized were all legally acquired through local distributors and all taxes were paid on them. Some of the beers that are supposedly "not on the list" are available at dozens of bars in the city (they confiscated Pliny the Younger shortly after it was a feature beer in multiple bars in the city). Not to mention that most of the beer seized is actually on the list, but under slightly different names or misspelled. Additionally some of the bottles seized were from a brewery that went out of business over a year ago and said bottles were purchased for sale when the beer in question was on the list.

It's causing quite a commotion amongst the Philly beer and bar crowd.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/h...gallons_seized_after__citizen_complaint_.html
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/h...s_beer_raid__ridiculous_use_of_manpower_.html
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/87097637.html
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/state-police,-bar-owners-in-beer-fight
 
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