How dry is your county?

[Lincsong]

In California, one can buy alcohol at any privately owned establishment at practically any hour. What are the limits to purchasing alcoholic booze in your city/county/state?

 

[Brad Bowers]

Ha! This is Utah. Liquor stores are state-run here, and there is only one, I think, in my county. Selection isn't bad but isn't as great as it could be. The only alcohol you can purchase in grocery stores, convenience stores, and the like, is 3.2 beer. Some restaurants serve alcohol, and there are a few bars, but they are only allowed to serve beer. They have these private clubs in which you have to buy a membership, I think, in order to be served alcohol there. Never been in one, so I don't know sure.

A lot of folks near the borders of Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, and Nevada, will, on occasion, make a run across state lines to do business with liquor stores. They seem to do a booming business. I do live about twenty miles from Idaho, but I wouldn't know anything about that...

Brad

 

[BellyTank]

Country... if you're interested.

Denmark, Copenhagen- you need to be 15 yrs old to buy beer from a corner shop. Bars are open all night- need to be 'of age' to get in.

Go across the bridge to Sweden and they have 'Systembol?•get', State run booze shops- the only place to buy 'full strength beer', wines and spirits.

Many Scandinavians travel down to the German border shops for cheap and tax-free booze. There are also a lot of Ferry Ships operating between Sweden, Noway, Denmark and the Baltic States- Booze Cruises, they're known as.

B
T

 

[Bebop]

After growing up in California I was amazed to find that liquor stores were closed on Sunday and you could not buy hard booze at Safeway when I started living part time in Washington state. After traveling for a few years I realized that Wa. is not that bad compared to Utah. Moab Utah is where I saw a sign that said "Legalize Adulthood" in a bar that was trying to instigate a push towards a more relaxed attitude when it comes to letting people enjoy alcohol. I see it as a great couple of words when it comes to many things so I ended up with the saying as my signiature. California is the place to be if you want freedom to drink. Now that stomach problems have led me to quit drinking alcohol all together, it does not make a difference to me. I don't know what the stats are on alcohol consumption (Jamespowers can probably chim in with statistics) but I don't think California's relaxed attitude toward alcohol makes the state anymore prone to alcohol addiction.

 

[Doh!]

...California is the place to be if you want freedom to drink...

Except in West L.A., apparently.

A few years ago, I was headed to a party on the Westside after 9:00 and found that all of the liquor stores had already closed for the evening(!). I ended up at a grocery store (Pavillions?) around 9:55, grabbed a six-pack and got in the only line open at that hour. After about 7 minutes in line, it was my turn. I put my beer on the conveyor belt, the clerk grabbed it, and PUT IT UNDER THE COUNTER. She said, "Sorry, we can't sell beer after 10:00." I looked at the clock and it was 10:02!! Needless to say, I went to the party empty-handed.

What really bugs me is that the clerk could clearly see the beer in my hand about 3 customers ahead of me. Would it have killed her to interrupt her current transaction and say to me, "Sorry, I won't be able to sell that to you."??

 

[Andykev]

duh

The law is the law. Sometimes it drives me to drink.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

You can drink in California...

You just can't smoke. lol

 

[Bebop]

Except in West L.A., apparently.

A few years ago, I was headed to a party on the Westside after 9:00 and found that all of the liquor stores had already closed for the evening(!). I ended up at a grocery store (Pavillions?) around 9:55, grabbed a six-pack and got in the only line open at that hour. After about 7 minutes in line, it was my turn. I put my beer on the conveyor belt, the clerk grabbed it, and PUT IT UNDER THE COUNTER. She said, "Sorry, we can't sell beer after 10:00." I looked at the clock and it was 10:02!! Needless to say, I went to the party empty-handed.

What really bugs me is that the clerk could clearly see the beer in my hand about 3 customers ahead of me. Would it have killed her to interrupt her current transaction and say to me, "Sorry, I won't be able to sell that to you."??

I had no idea there was that type of law in L.A. I would not be surprised to see alcohol go the route of tobacco and turned into an "evil form of enjoyment done by the mentally weak". Alot of people say the alcohol industry has too much power to let that happen but that is what was said about the tobacco industry while they passed all kinds of crazy laws about not smoking with the pretense that they were doing it for our health. Now one is made to feel like there is something horribly wrong with them if they want to enjoy tobacco.

 

[Lincsong]

Second hand whiskey fumes

Yeah, they could ban alcohol under the pretense that "second hand" whiskey fumes causes cirhosis of the liver.lol I remember in Kentucky I drove past a gas/mart that was right on the county line. Booze could be bought and sold only on one side of the store. In Florida, the liquor section at Albertson's Supermarket is a separate building.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

.

In SC, liquor stores are known as ABC "Package" Stores, the ABC standing for Alcoholic Beverage Commission. The stores are not owned by the state, but instead are owned by anybody that gets approval from the ABC to run a store (they very rarely deny anybody, from what I have read).

Liquor may only be sold at ABC stores from 9am to 6pm on monday through saturday.

Beer and wine can be sold at convenience and grocery stores till midnight on Saturdays, and can't be sold again till monday morning.

Regular bars can't sell any alcohol on sundays unless they are in a private club, which can sell at any time, on any day they are open.

You often see the "divided" stores, with liquor on one side, and beer/wine on the other.

It's a pretty silly setup.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

After growing up in California I was amazed to find that liquor stores were closed on Sunday and you could not buy hard booze at Safeway when I started living part time in Washington state.

Same for me - in fact, when I first moved up you couldn't buy beer or wine in the markets on Sunday, either. That law had already been voted out but the change didn't take affect until the end of our first year here.

But in the last few years, they've let some of the state liquor stores open on Sunday - they're about 20 miles apart, but you can still get "the hard stuff" on a Sunday if you're so inclined. And one plus, IMHO, to the state-run liquor stores here in Washington - the profits go to the school districts, rather than adding to the bottom line of Kroger or Albertson's or whoever to dole out as bonuses to the CEO's & board.

But we've got friends who take Amtrak to California once or twice a year on visits just to load up on booze. The thing is, they're not saving any money but I guess they like the decadent feeling of sneaking back across the border with cases of Scotch & vodka & whatever. I told them recently "Let me know next time you go - I'll loan you a couple of fedoras so you can really feel like bootleggers!"

 

[Doh!]

Back in the '70s, Coors wasn't available in St. Louis -- or all of Missouri as far as I know -- so my cousin, who was going to college in Kansas at the time, would load up his car and bring back cases of the stuff whenever he came home on break. The neighbors would gather 'round and he'd sell as many cases as he could manage to the thirsty, polyester-wearing set.

By the end of the decade, Coors was finally being sold in St. Louis -- just in time for my dad and his friends to realize just how crappy it really was.

I don't think Dad's tasted Coors since 1978...

 

[Viola]

A child of Pennsylvania, I was shocked to learn there are places where you can buy beer in grocery stores. Whether the state stores are open on Sundays I don't know but I doubt it.

 

[scotrace]

Only information I store in my brain about it is

that the likka sto closes at 8, closed all day Sunday.

 

[Jake]

Milwaukee, more bars per person than anywhere in the world. At least thats what I've been told. It seems true as I travel out of state and try to find a friendly neighborhood bar. Liquor stores open seven days a week till 9 pm, after that you can get carry outs from the bars.....Jake

 

[Baron Kurtz]

I think 7am-12am opening hours for liquor stores. Closed all day Sunday. The bars tend to close between 0000 and 0200, and most are open on Sundays. I'm never out that late these days anyway so it doesn't matter to me when they close.

On the other side of the river, i think there's a law that if it's college football game day the liquor stores aren't allowed to open so early, and the bars aren't allowed to run breakfast club until 1000, or so. Something like that. Not being a college football, or early morning drinking, fan it doesn't affect me too much.

I have found myself running out of booze on a Sunday, though. That sucks. Have to go pay extortionate bar prices and come home stinking of stale cigarrette smoke. On the other side of the river they just banned smoking in public places (effective June 2007, i think).

bk

 

[Rosie]

Wow, interesting

I'm in NYC. We have liquor stores that can be owned by anyone who can obtain a liquor license, our corner stores sell beer, malt liquor (not sure what that is exactly) and wine cooler type drinks like Smirnoff something or other and Bacardi Ice I believe it is called (Bartles and Jaymes type drinks). Supermarkets and purchasee clubs like BJs, Costco can sell wine or what some choose to call "wine products". Until recently, liquor stores were closed on Sundays but now, they can be open 6 days a week, the day they decide to close is up to the store owner. Last call in bars is about 5 am (I haven't been to a bar in a LONG time, don't quote me on that) though one can be IN a bar or club until about 6 or so, especially on the weekends.

 

[Braxton36]

We have ABC stores too - all closed on Sundays. Private "package stores" can be open on Sunday but no beer, wine or liquor can be sold until noon on Sunday. I suppose in theory it keeps us from getting drunk early on Sundays... fortunately we have wine during communion every Sunday... keeps the withdrawal tremors away

 

[Raegan]

Milwaukee, more bars per person than anywhere in the world. At least thats what I've been told. It seems true as I travel out of state and try to find a friendly neighborhood bar. Liquor stores open seven days a week till 9 pm, after that you can get carry outs from the bars.....Jake

I think that's just Wisconsin in general because we've been told that about our county too. In high school the teachers told us that. I know for a fact though that Wisconsin is number one for binge drinking, they have all those commercials about it. Something to be proud of huh?

 

[Jake]

Raegan, good to see another member from Wisconsin. I believe that makes 5 of us now. Central Wisconsin, sounds like the Stevens Point area? I have been to fly-ins in that area, Watoma and Marshfield.....Jake.