A few years ago, a colleague and I traveled to Tifton, GA for work. The first evening that we were there, we asked the motel owner where we could get a drink.
He grinned and replied, “Didn’t you know we’re dry here?” We got talking with him about dry counties, and marveled that they were still around.
He claimed that the ban would come up for repeal on the ballot regularly, but whenever it did, people who owned bars and liquor stores just outside the county would fund big ad campaigns, urging people to keep the booze out of the county. Otherwise, all the business from people driving just over the border would be lost.
Preachers were always hired, and paid well by the hooch merchants to thunder on TV about the demon rum.
Ok, so here’s a serious question-- does anyone here perhaps live in a dry county but homebrew beer (a hobby of ours. Yes, we are exceedingly northwest)? I see homebrewing clubs in Louisville and Lexington et al, but is it ok in the other counties (if not explicitly legal at least “shrug” and not prosecuted or anything)? Would I need shipments from Williams’ Brewing to come in unmarked packages, and brewing supply catalogs to come mailed in brown paper, like porn? I mean, it looks like a state with a lot of mellow and enlightened people-- there must be homebrewing outside the cities?
As far as I know, you can brew what you like, as long as it’s under the federal limit whatever that is. 100 gallons? You just can’t distill, no moonshine. I do dandelion wine from time to time, though I live in Fayette now I grew up in a dry county.
We’re moving up to the hills this summer, and this is absolutely something I intend to learn to do. Gotta preserve those dying arts, you know. (I’m willing to bet that my pedigree checks out.)
I can’t imagine that it would be an issue. If it is, it might be related to another unfortunate Kentucky booze law–at least as of a few years ago, it was illegal to receive alcohol in the mail in Kentucky. Of course, homebrew supplies don’t contain any alcohol, but I don’t know how broadly the law is written. (There was talk a few years back about changing this, but I doubt they’ve gotten around to it.)
If the big online homebrew stores are willing to ship to Kentucky, then you can rest assured. (You can also be comforted that they have a modest selection of homebrew supplies in Lexington at Liquor Barn.)
This was a tax issue. Something about other states not collecting reciprocal sales tax or something. It wasn’t a morality thing. As far as I know, homebrewing is OK in dry counties as long as you aren’t brewing it to sell. You can possess alcohol in dry counties, you just can’t sell it.
I thought the state stores in PA, or at least in Pittsburgh, were great. Because they only stock liquor, they have a wide selection, and the staff knew what they had and could answer any questions. Also because of this, they were clean and not heavily trafficked. And they had guards. As far as craving alcohol after hours, well, you just have to plan ahead.
Out here in LA, you can get liquor at a grocery or a bodega, and even the nominal liquor stores also sell snacks, mixers, lottery tickets and so forth. I don’t like them much. I don’t drink any more, but Mr. Rilch goes to a nearby liquor store to get cigars from their humidor. I’m sure the staff does their best*, but they just can’t keep things orderly when people are always in and out buying non-liquor items. So I have no problem with state stores as opposed to stores that have liquor as an afterthought.
*and they are cool people. While Mr. Rilch was in the humidor, I was chit-chatting with the cashier about how badly we thought the Hitchhiker’s movie might suck. But the carpet is dirty and torn, and I don’t know about the age of the candy by the register.
