Dry Counties (Booze fee) in America

[Lacunae Matata]

Joke told to me by a Baptist preacher who married into my family:

The differences in various religions: Jews don't recognize Jesus as the Messiah, Protestants don't recognize the pope as the head of the church, and Baptists don't recognize one another at the liquor store.

As a lifelong Georgian, I'm used to a weird patchwork of alcohol laws. Each of the state's 159 counties, and each municipality within those counties, is allowed to vote on alcohol laws. My city and county passed voted to allow Sunday alcohol sale in the last election, but liquor isn't sold by the package here, only by the drink. As this is a college town, the county line stores do a booming business. Back when I was a kid, there was a phase when my hometown was wet (not just moist,) but the liquor store was owned and operated by the city. The store had a drive through window, and sold draft beer.

[Faruiza]

Originally Posted by Odesio

Earthquakes, mudslides, sinkholes, droughts and a dysfunctional state government. Compared to that, a dry county seems like a welcome problem.

Pfft. That's just how we get our kicks. We're bored with booze!

[Faruiza]

Originally Posted by silenus

Yeah, but the grocery store in that city has some great deals if you're into vegetarianism. And the hospitals are first-rate.

Ya got that right. May I be in that city if I ever have an infarction. Since I'm a heathen omnivore, may I also not burst into flame!

[DCnDC]

Originally Posted by appleciders

Could be weirder. Some states back east still have only state-run liquor stores.

I live in an alcohol beverage control county. Beer and wine may be sold by private stores, but all liquor must be purchased from a county-run store. It's not a bad thing as far as I'm concerned; there are plenty of stores around and they actually have very good prices, often significantly better compared to the stores in neighboring counties and across the border in DC.

[kenobi 65]

When I was a kid (in the 1970s), our family would go on vacation with two or three other families (all of the dads were fraternity brothers). We would often go to "state resort parks" in Kentucky (picture a big state park with a hotel and cabins on park grounds). Frequently, these were located in dry counties, which meant that my parents (and the other adults) would be certain to bring along enough liquor for the week vacation, since getting more while we were there was problematic.

I'm amused by the fact that so much of Kentucky was (and still is) dry, given the presence of Makers Mark and other bourbon distilleries in the state.

[spotthegerbil]

Are there any legal objections to brewing your own beer or wine in dry areas? Are there any restrictions on buying fermentation kit?

I'm very small scale, but I tend to use home brew kits, making about 40 pint bottles in around a fortnight. They tend to be around 5%. I've usually got a few gallons of fruit wine at one stage or another.

[Accidental Martyr]

Blount County, Alabama where I grew up was dry and I assume it still is but I haven't lived there in twenty years. I now live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (home of The University of Alabama) and the law against Sunday alcohol sales was voted out about a year ago. Bars and stores can now serve/sell alcohol from noon-9:30 pm on Sunday.

[DCnDC]

Originally Posted by spotthegerbil

Are there any legal objections to brewing your own beer or wine in dry areas? Are there any restrictions on buying fermentation kit?

I believe in general in most jurisdictions if you are brewing solely for personal use and are producing under a certain amount, you may brew away. It varies by state and county of course, but conveniently you can check your local laws here.

[Musicat]

"Dry Counties (Booze fee) in America"

There's a booze fee now in dry counties? You can't win!

[madmonk28]

Originally Posted by DCnDC

I live in an alcohol beverage control county. Beer and wine may be sold by private stores, but all liquor must be purchased from a county-run store. It's not a bad thing as far as I'm concerned; there are plenty of stores around and they actually have very good prices, often significantly better compared to the stores in neighboring counties and across the border in DC.

Yeah but the government workers an MoCo and Virginia ABC stores absolutely don't care about booze or know anything about it. If I go into Pearson's, or Paul's in DC, I can ask them about different products and get advice. In MoCo and VA, I'm just going to get someone who will ring up my purchases. Also, the selection at government run stores is not very interesting.

[ralph124c]

In Dallas County Texas, I remember that you had to be a "member" to drink at a abr-you forked over $5.00 (temporary membership fee), which was credited to your bar tab.
In Pennsylvania, I wanted a beer at a local cafe. To get one, I had to walk over to the adjacent bar, buy one, and return to my table (the waitress couldn't serve me liquor).
I Maine (on Sundays), you had to be served food to get a drink..so the waiter brings you a "meal" (usually a cracker or a pickle).
Just what are these stupid laws supposed to accomplish.

[amanset]

How big are these "counties"? How much of a hassle is it?

I used to live in the Bournville Village Trust, in Birmingham, one of the few dry areas of the UK. Luckily it was small enough (and I lived on the edge of it) that I never really thought about it. Was only about a fifteen minute walk to the pub.

[CrazyCatLady]

Originally Posted by amanset

How big are these "counties"? How much of a hassle is it?

Depends on the state how big the counties are. In Kentucky you're pretty much never farther than half an hour or so from a county line, and that's deliberate--things were set up so that you should be able to travel your county seat (or from one seat to another) and home on horseback in a single day. In other states things are done differently and counties may be much larger.

In my experience, it's really not that much of a hassle. Most people I know either don't drink at all, or don't drink more than once every week or two. And dry counties are usually pretty rural, so you generally wind up having to go to a more populated (and wet) county on a pretty regular basis for work or to do any shopping beyond groceries or maybe a trip to Walmart, so it's really not a big deal to do your liquor shopping then.