Brace yourself for Beer Wars.
Count me in.
Yesterday Gov. Tom Wolf weighed in on one of the state's longest lasting 'brew'-hahas. That would be the archaic way Pennsylvania handles the sale of alcohol.
That, of course, falls under the purview of the state Liquor Control Board, which has set up a maze of different hoops people in this state have to jump through to buy booze.
Yesterday Wolf supported the notion of allowing gas stations to sell six-packs of beer.
Can you say Wawa?
The Delco-based convenience store chain is in the business of setting up an area in one store - out on Naamans Creek Road in Concord - for beer sales.
But state law currently bans the sale of alcohol at any location "where the sale of liquid fuels or oil is conducted."
Sheetz, the Wawa of the convenience store world in the middle part of the state, is challenging that ruling in a location concerning a store in Shippensburg.
They're not the only interested parties. The state Malt Beverage Distributors Association, which represents private beer distributors, opposes the measure. One court backed the PLCB's ban on sales at gas stations, but the matter now sits with the state Supreme Court.
The PLCB is currently in the process of weighing nine other applications.
Wolf is urging them to "free the six-pack"
Imagine that, being able to duck into your local convenience store on the way home to grab a cold six-pack.
Ask anyone who lives in another state about our laws.
They think we're living in the Dark Ages.
I'm not sure they're wrong.
In another lifetime, I lived for a few years in Colorado. In the supermarkets there, you had several aisles of the store devoted to anything you might want - beer, wine, or liquor. And you put it in your cart and pay for it with all the rest of your groceries.
Every 7-Eleven had a cold case where you could grab a six-pack. In West Virginia, where my son lives, every Sheetz store has the same thing.
But here in Pennsylvania? Let's review.
Beer? You want a six-pack. You have to go to your local deli or tavern and likely pay through the nose. Or a supermarket that has beer sales. But you can't pay for it along with the rest of your groceries. That's a separate part of the store.
So much for convenience.
You want a case, instead of a six-pack? That's another trip, this time to the beer distributor. He can't sell you a six-pack by the way, but he can now offer a 12-pack.
A bottle of wine for dinner? That means a third trip, to your friendly state store. But you can't buy beer there.
I have long been a proponent of Pennsylvania getting out of the booze business.
I understand it means revenue and jobs.
I also think the state has no business sticking its nose into what is really private enterprise.
But I don't expect it to change anytime soon, despite seemingly constant attempts to change the system in Harrisburg.
My offers still stands. The day they are finally going to blow up this system and turn the whole thing over to private enterprise - can you say Total Wine? - I'm available to push the plunger.
Comments