Bock is Back

bruker wrote: ↑

Wed. May. 29, 2024 11:06 am

Do you guys drink much Straub out that way? I used to get to St. Marys, PA on business and would stop by their brewery to drink from the "eternal tap" as soon as I got there.

Someone in western PA. could answer this better than me. We used to see it very occasionally in eastern PA., a long time ago. 1970's-1980's. Then it started showing up again for a bit about 10 years ago. Some other business bought them a few years back, so I've heard. The old company was known for shutting down operations for about 2 months in the Fall, for hunting seasons. So I heard. I managed to find one their more recent products a few years ago. 1872 pre-prohibition Lager, which was good!

The other old western PA. brewery that was even scarcer than Straub in the East, was Stoney's. Looks like they're still around. The old Stoney's always reminded me of the real old style Rolling Rock from Latrobe. Before the long strike in the 70's.

Did some checking and it looks like Straub and Stoney's are still family owned. That's good.

Here in OH you can buy beer from most any gas station or grocery store, but I understand things aren't that way in PA. How does it work in PA?

bruker wrote: ↑

Fri. May. 31, 2024 10:49 am

Did some checking and it looks like Straub and Stoney's are still family owned. That's good.

Here in OH you can buy beer from most any gas station or grocery store, but I understand things aren't that way in PA. How does it work in PA?

Same here in NY.

bruker wrote: ↑

Fri. May. 31, 2024 10:49 am

Did some checking and it looks like Straub and Stoney's are still family owned. That's good.

Here in OH you can buy beer from most any gas station or grocery store, but I understand things aren't that way in PA. How does it work in PA?

It has actually changed quite a bit the past few years. In 2016 the Governor signed Act 39 into law, which allows for grocery stores, convenience stores, and gas stations to sell up to 192 fl. oz. of beer per transaction, which is equivalent to a 12 pack of 16 oz. cans. I think the store or gas station has to apply for a permit to sell beer and I'm sure they are big money. Most major grocery stores and big gas station chains like Sheetz and Speedway have beer in them now.

^Thanks for the update exwoodburner, that's good to know. I might be back in St. Mary's this summer, do you know if Stoney's is widely available?

Actually, the Act 39 main deal was that it allowed business with restaurant liquor licenses, including supermarkets, to sell small amounts of wine to go. The convenience stores and supermarkets that sell beer and wine only do so by purchasing existing restaurant licenses available for sale on the market. Back around approximately 2001, Weis market chain won a long lawsuit against a Pa. Liquor Code law to put a restaurant liquor license in a Reading area supermarket. A year or so later, the big change was a law change permitting the transfer of location of a liquor license to any new location as long as it was in the same county. Previously that was only available for retail beer distributors. That jacked up the value of an existing liquor license in many areas tremendously. There had been some depressed towns and inner cities where they could hardly give one away since it was only good in the municipality it was issued in.

The supermarkets, etc. have to follow all the same set up rules that taverns or hotels do because they have the same licenses. Separate additional external entrance for booze area. Hot food always available, table and chairs to dine at. There's supposed to be some defined interior entrance to the beer and wine selling area. One supermarket "restaurant" I know of, has hot popcorn and if you insist, a hot dog or nachos.

There was always a running "war" between bars/restaurants/hotels and the beer distributors. Some years ago, they upped the fluid oz. quantity that a bar/supermarket restaurant/hotel/malt license could sell. To appease the beer distributors, they let them sell 6 and 12 packs instead of just full cases. Then they allowed restaurant/hotel licensees and beer distributors to sell small amounts of wine for the first time.