Bizarre Liquor Laws in Your State

[wiffleball 4,660]

I think liquor laws may be the most focked up, bizarre and varied laws in the nation. Seems like no two states can agree. Hell, here in Texor, we still have dry counties. In a certain neighborhood I know, you effectively have dry 'blocks'.

 

Ohio - I could find beer every 10 feet, hell, they had beer drive throughs (very cool) - But there was a state-run licker store about every 100 miles.

 

PA - Very wierd.

 

 

Colorado - Not sure if they still have it, but back in the day, 18-20 y.o.'s could drink "3.2" beer. It was pretty much a scam; There was supposedly 3.2 and 6.0, but the troof is, they both settled in about the 4.5-ish range, so it was just basically BS.

 

Regardless, we'd load up on penny pitchers of watery ice cold 3.2 beer and by the time the night was ovah, our bellies would look like little ethiopian bellies. Too funny.

[Patriotsfatboy1 1,432]

Our folks can't even spell their own name correctly on their website

 

http://www.mass.gov/abcc/

 

Alcoholic Beverages Control Comission

[Chronic Husker 85]

Oklahoma doesn't sell cold beer in liquor stores, which my friends found out the hard way a couple weeks ago.

 

Colorado still doesn't sell on Sunday except 3.2. I won't drink that piss.

[Jessy 0]

Liquor stores are closed on Sundays in Minnesota. The only place to buy liquor and wine in Minnesota is in liquor stores. You can buy beer in grocery and convenience stores in Minnesota, but they only sell 3.2 beer.

 

Until a couple of years ago, bar time was 1:00 a.m.

 

Damn Lutherans.

[supermike80 1,317]

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission is by far one of the very most powerful agencies in the state. They have enormous amounts of pull.

Generally, state wide, no alcohol sales Sunday till after 12:00. Some dry counties as well.

 

The power they have is that every establishment that serves alcohol has to abide by their rules, whether it relates to alcohol or not.

 

For instance...

For anyone who has ever bowled, you can throw a few $ in a mystery pool where a bowling score is drawn at random and if you bowled it in your last game, you win!

Made illegal by the MLCC. Since it was a game of chance and taking place where alcohol is sold, it was deemed to be illegal. Michigan actually had to pass a LAW to override this, after a huge protest by bowlers, which was signed by the Governor in a bowling alley.

 

Also for Michigan residents...Ever notice that your favorite bar doesn't have alcohol related neon signs?--Guess what? ILLEGAL. If they have one up, they are breaking the law.

[wiffleball 4,660]

Here in Texor, you can't advertise your drink prices. - Bizarre.

 

then again, like everything else related to liquor around here, compliance & enforcement is totally random.

[IrishDrunk 0]

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission is by far one of the very most powerful agencies in the state. They have enormous amounts of pull.

Generally, state wide, no alcohol sales Sunday till after 12:00. Some dry counties as well.

 

The power they have is that every establishment that serves alcohol has to abide by their rules, whether it relates to alcohol or not.

 

For instance...

For anyone who has ever bowled, you can throw a few $ in a mystery pool where a bowling score is drawn at random and if you bowled it in your last game, you win!

Made illegal by the MLCC. Since it was a game of chance and taking place where alcohol is sold, it was deemed to be illegal. Michigan actually had to pass a LAW to override this, after a huge protest by bowlers, which was signed by the Governor in a bowling alley.

 

Also for Michigan residents...Ever notice that your favorite bar doesn't have alcohol related neon signs?--Guess what? ILLEGAL. If they have one up, they are breaking the law.

 

What do you expect from the shithole state of Michigan?

[itsbigmoni 1]

In cali, no liquor after 2 am and no drinking in public. Other than that, i haven't noticed anything weird. You can buy any kind of liquor or cold beer or a wine from any grocery store. Convenient stores usually only sell cold beer and some cheap wine. But we also have liquor stores that sell everything.

[kpbuckeye 2]

they have since changed the laws in Ohio, we now have private owners who can sell liquor. They put all kinds of regulations, I think they even tell them what price it has to be soled at, but we have many many more stores now. Now you don't have to drive no more than a mile or two to find one if you are in a city.

[Cdub100 3,420]

What do you expect from the shithole state of Michigan?

 

Seems like we've got it pretty good compared to the other states. Ohhhh bars can't have neon signs.

 

I can walk into any grocery store and buy beer or liquor.

 

Also we are close to Canada .

[Sho Nuff 720]

No liquor sales (in stores) on Sunday.

Beer and drinks in restaurants used to be noon on Sunday...that changed to leave it up to the county a few years ago...rumored to be because of Titans football ) Always sucked at a noon kickoff to be waiting in the beer line and miss kickoff.

 

Like others liquor only sold in liquor stores.

 

Liquor and beer not sold in the same building. Must have a separate entrance.

 

Have a few dry counties where no liquor is sold (beer is still sold and liquor by the drink at restaurants in many of them).

[TommyGavin 790]

in NY it is illegal to drink and drive

 

 

 

 

Have a few dry counties where no liquor is sold

 

hell even Lynchburg TN is a dry county

[jackie sherrill 0]

In Mississippi, liquor and wine are only sold in Liquor stores, and nothing else can be sold in those stores - i.e. mixes, limes, cokes, etc. Beer is also not sold in liquor stores. Liquor stores are closed on Sunday.

 

We have dry counties still, wet counties, and some counties - at least some cities - Starkville where Mississippi State is one - only sell hot beer.

 

No selling of any alcohol after midnight in stores and 1am in bars.

 

[Sho Nuff 720]

in NY it is illegal to drink and drive

hell even Lynchburg TN is a dry county

Welcome to the "Bible" belt. Where its ok to make Whiskey, just not to buy it.

[supermike80 1,317]

No liquor sales (in stores) on Sunday.

Beer and drinks in restaurants used to be noon on Sunday...that changed to leave it up to the county a few years ago...rumored to be because of Titans football ) Always sucked at a noon kickoff to be waiting in the beer line and miss kickoff.

 

Like others liquor only sold in liquor stores.

 

Liquor and beer not sold in the same building. Must have a separate entrance.

 

Have a few dry counties where no liquor is sold (beer is still sold and liquor by the drink at restaurants in many of them).

 

Wisconsin? I think I remember that state being like that.

Kinda off topic, I think I remember a strip club in Tennessee where you were allowed to bring in your own liquor(they had all the mixers there) but if you wanted to bring in beer..it was a $1 can surcharge...crazy

[gocolts 300]

It is unlawful to dispense alcoholic beverages on Christmas Day and on Primary, General, or Special Election Days while the polls are open. It is also unlawful to dispense alcoholic beverages for carryout on New Year's Day.

[Jessy 0]

In South Carolina, liquor used to only be sold in the tiny airplane bottles. They even used those at bars. I believe that's been changed now.

[wiffleball 4,660]

In South Carolina, liquor used to only be sold in the tiny airplane bottles. They even used those at bars. I believe that's been changed now.

 

 

I remember TDS doing bit on that. Taht may have been one of the craziest laws on the books. I remember watching the bartender open up little tiny bottles over and over again to make a cocktail.

[jackie sherrill 0]

In South Carolina, liquor used to only be sold in the tiny airplane bottles. They even used those at bars. I believe that's been changed now.

 

I don't think it has, at least as of less than two years ago it had not. I went on a golf trip to Myrtle Beach and everywhere, bars, stores, cart girls, everybody would break out those tiny bottles.

[wiffleball 4,660]

12/29/2005 UsaToday.com

Before 1973, South Carolina did not allow liquor to be sold by the drink. People brought their own bottles into bars and restaurants and bought mixers and ice. The practice, however, prompted concern that patrons could knock back as much booze as they wanted, then hit the highways.

 

Voters in 1972 approved a constitutional amendment to allow liquor by the drink in containers of 2 ounces or less, says Tom Sponseller, president of the Hospitality Association of South Carolina, which represents 2,300 restaurants, taverns and hotels.

 

"This was not really unique in the 1970s," Sponseller says, noting that several other states had similar laws at the time. "Over the years, as moderation became the big thing, the little bottles fell out of favor."

 

By 1990, Utah, which has some of the nation's most stringent liquor-control laws, was the only other state with a mini-bottle law. It ended the practice that year.

 

"Back in the 1970s, when South Carolina and about nine other states also used them, they only could hold 1.5 ounces," Sponseller says. "When the liquor industry went metric in the '80s, they went to 1.7 ounces."

 

By 2004, most bars and restaurants around the USA served liquor in 1- to 1.25-ounce shots, Sponseller says. At 1.7 ounces per drink, South Carolina imbibers enjoyed the nation's most potent drinks. And they enjoyed plenty of them: 60 million to 70 million mini-bottles of liquor are sold in the state each year, Sponseller says.

 

 

 

 

I don't think it has, at least as of less than two years ago it had not. I went on a golf trip to Myrtle Beach and everywhere, bars, stores, cart girls, everybody would break out those tiny bottles.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-1...cohol-law_x.htm

 

Now they can pour from anything they want - big or little. Part of the reason some bidnesses didn't change was

1) Bartenders were too stupid to be able to eyeball a drink. (okay, just more used to the little bottles)

2) Customers liked the 1.7 oz pour - as opposed to the 1-1.5 oz in many 'standard' pours.

3) Bidnesses didn't have the storage / shelving for big bottles - they were designed for the minis.

 

 

I'd have to think that the margin on a big ol' bottle of Crown is much better than on the little minis. Not sure if anyone bothered to figure that out.

[Jessy 0]

I'd have to think that the margin on a big ol' bottle of Crown is much better than on the little minis. Not sure if anyone bothered to figure that out.

 

My friend's boyfriend was stationed at Parris Island and I just remember him saying how ridiculously expensive a Long Island ice tea was, what with all the liquor in it.

[jackie sherrill 0]

My friend's boyfriend was stationed at Parris Island and I just remember him saying how ridiculously expensive a Long Island ice tea was, what with all the liquor in it.

 

that's what got us was how expensive everything was. At bars, a jack and coke, crown and coke, red bull and vodka, whatever were all at least $8. But, you could get a double - two whole mini bottles poured in- for $12.

[jerryskids 5,295]

PA -- Grew up there. The whole state-run liquor thing is a scam for the gubment to make money on the booze. I actually bought booze there several times when I was 18 with a fake license. Ah, the invincibility of youth.

 

MA -- College days. You could have and drink grain alcohol, but you couldn't buy it. So we'd drive up to New Hampshire for it.

 

AZ -- Used to be that you couldn't buy booze before noon on a Sunday. Gotta protect religion and all. Then we got an NFL team (well, kinda), and people decided that football was a more important religion. Also, you can drink openly outside. When I moved here outta college and heard this, I walked up to a club with a can of beer in my hand. A sheriff was at the door and asked me what it was. I said "a beer, ocifer!" He informed me that you can only openly drink in unmarked containers. In retrospect it was cool of him to not arrest/cite me.

[zmanzzzz 1]

montana -

 

no alchohol sold from 2am to 8am.

no public drinking

no liquor sold in convienence stores.

until a couple years ago it was ok to drive with an open beer as long as you were not over the limit.

there are some new funky tap room laws that apply to local breweries.

[TommyGavin 790]

For a drinker as myself I live in the right state. I've pretty much never had a problem getting what I want. Sure the occasional holiday that I needed to pick up another bottle of vodka but the stores were closed - for the holiday not by law - then I'd just go to my local and "borrow" one.

 

I can (and have) run outta beer at 4AM on a Mondayand walk 2 blocks in either direction and get more beer.

 

[Bert 1,100]

Here in Texor, you can't advertise your drink prices. - Bizarre.

 

then again, like everything else related to liquor around here, compliance & enforcement is totally random.

 

My favorite is Texor has had an open container law now for quite a few years but every convenience store still has huge tubs full of single beers next to the check out counter.

[wiffleball 4,660]

For a drinker as myself I live in the right state. I've pretty much never had a problem getting what I want. Sure the occasional holiday that I needed to pick up another bottle of vodka but the stores were closed - for the holiday not by law - then I'd just go to my local and "borrow" one.

 

I can (and have) run outta beer at 4AM on a Mondayand walk 2 blocks in either direction and get more beer.

 

 

 

...and that state would be....

[TommyGavin 790]

...and that state would be....

pay ATTENTION

 

 

 

NY

 

[jerryskids 5,295]

...and that state would be....

drunkenness

[Let Da Big Dog Eat 38]

SC: Used to live there and they also had a law that they could not serve you a double. So, if I wanted a Drambuie after dinner, I'd have to order 2, one on the rocks the other strait. I could pour them both in 1 glass but they couldn't. Huh?

 

VA: Used to live there and they had the state run liquer stores. Worked in DC and a 1.75 of CC was about 25% less in DC. VA used to actually set up random roadblocks at the border and confiscate your booze if you were "bootlegging." We would actually send someone home from work early to check for roadblocks before loading up.

 

State run liquer stores are the sux.

[Sho Nuff 720]

Wisconsin? I think I remember that state being like that.

Kinda off topic, I think I remember a strip club in Tennessee where you were allowed to bring in your own liquor(they had all the mixers there) but if you wanted to bring in beer..it was a $1 can surcharge...crazy

 

Thats how it was (not sure if it still is) at just about every place in Nashville.

 

Wisconsin? Not sure the liquor laws there as I only lived there til I was 15.

[phillybear 365]

PA = beer and liquor sold in separate stores. Also, very recently, they allowed places to sell booze on Sundays.

[Let Da Big Dog Eat 38]

Thats how it was (not sure if it still is) at just about every place in Nashville.

 

Wisconsin? Not sure the liquor laws there as I only lived there til I was 15.

 

Lived in Wi until I was 26 and live there now. There have never been any goofy laws here and since I am ancient, I would know.

[TommyGavin 790]

PA law bad.

 

Me and a buddy years ago were at a college in PA (somewhere out on 80) and had a couple of hours to kill before driving up to Oneonta NY. So we figured we'd have a few beers to kill the time. Went to the store to get a 12 pack and was told they only sold cases (by law) - so what do two stupid people do ? Buy the case.

 

So 3 or 4 hours pass and no more beer and we're ready to roll. He drives, we get all the way to the NY border - he gets pulled over. Cop lets us go because his kid was with us and didnt want to arrest the father in front of his son.

 

Whew.

 

This was over 20 years ago when DWI was a little less in the media.

[rallo 132]

i don't know all of the liquor laws here in iowa...

 

but in iowa city there are drive-thru liquor stores, plus the cold beer/ liquor section in the back of most grocery stores and liquor stores... i think the law is that they have to stop selling booze by 1 o'clock... i'm not sure if that law applies all over the state, but at the gas station across from my apartment they stop at 1 a.m.

[TommyGavin 790]

i don't know all of the liquor laws here in iowa...

 

but in iowa city there are drive-thru liquor stores, plus the cold beer/ liquor section in the back of most grocery stores and liquor stores... i think the law is that they have to stop selling booze by 1 o'clock... i'm not sure if that law applies all over the state, but at the gas station across from my apartment they stop at 1 a.m.

 

 

If I lived in IOWA I'd be even more of a drunkard

[rallo 132]

If I lived in IOWA I'd be even more of a drunkard

 

you are blind to stereotypes then... if you are at any semi-urban city in iowa there are plenty of things to do.

 

i would challenge you to come to iowa city... dance clubs, great college football atmosphere, and tons of bars (but we'll look past that.) I'd venture to say there is more to do in iowa city than in any city in pennsylvania outside of pitt or philly

[TommyGavin 790]

you are blind to stereotypes then... if you are at any semi-urban city in iowa there are plenty of things to do.

 

i would challenge you to come to iowa city... dance clubs, great college football atmosphere, and tons of bars (but we'll look past that.) I'd venture to say there is more to do in iowa city than in any city in pennsylvania outside of pitt or philly

 

Well I'm in NYC and have been in 43 of the continental 48 states (including Iowa) and can not imagine living anywhere else. GOTTA admit though - I do wish I was closer to a "college football town" - that I miss....

[AmbassadorOfKwan 0]

I know Im not allowed to lick her when she is on the rag.

[TommyGavin 790]

I know Im not allowed to lick her when she is on the rag.