Liquor sales banned...

[boone]

I've always known that we have many, many dry counties in Kentucky. Also, there are many wet counties in Kentucky. Lately, we have partial counties...the sale of alcohol by the drink at restaurants is allowed in many "dry" counties.

Now, I see it can be from neighborhood to neighborhood. This link tells of what's going on in Louisville right now. I didn't know this could happen. I've always thought the vote was from county to county.

Dustie finds in that old neighborhood many be a thing of the past.

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?s=7339232

[doubleblank]

Wet and Dry is also precinct by precinct in Texas counties. For example, Dallas remains dry in many areas. IIRC, Harris County (AKA Houston) even has a small dry area.

Randy

[ILLfarmboy]

Sad.

I wonder how voters were "misled". I'm only guessing here but I suspect it may have been put to the voters as an anti-crime measure.

When Riverboat gambling was put to a vote here, well not here but up in Moline and Davenport certain religious groups made a huge fuss about what they saw as a tidal wave of crime following on the heals of legalized gambling. You would have thought the Crips or the Bloods were going to set up shop in John Deere's old house.

[boone]

I guess small town, combined with being the bourbon capital of the world, such things have not been a option :grin: :grin: I've always voted since I turned legal age. I don't remember ever seeing a wet dry vote :grin: :grin: Not that it's never happened but not in my liftime registry.

There is a county nearby (Hardin) that has always been dry for as long as I could remember. It seemed that ever chance they could put a "wet vote on the ballot" it was turned down...Till, the big restaurant chains came in...The town was dry but they still built them with bar's inside. That was a clue. Then, another and another big chain restaurant was built...same thing, a big bar was built inside. They could not sell alcohol...

Sure nuff...the next election was was on the ballot. A partial wet option. They now serve "by the drink" in restaurants in Hardin County.

Wet and Dry is also precinct by precinct in Texas counties. For example, Dallas remains dry in many areas. IIRC, Harris County (AKA Houston) even has a small dry area.

Randy

[TNbourbon]

We had the opposite situation here, Bettye Jo, for many years -- the county where I live has been 'wet' since I moved here, but liquor-by-the-drink didn't come until the arrival of "damnyankees", et al, to work at the GM/Saturn plant, which began production in 1990. The chain restaurants started arriving shortly thereafter, but didn't get in ahead of the change.

As in Kentucky, more than half of the state's police jurisdictions (there must by a local police department, not just a county sheriff's department, where liquor is sold) are 'dry'. Ironic, isn't it, that in the two states that produce probably 95% of American whiskey, you can't buy a drink in over half of their territory?

But, you know, I don't have a real problem with it. Local citizens can petition and vote for change, if they want to. I think the closer to home political and social decisions are made, the better. If a locality doesn't want liquor sold there, then it shouldn't be forced on the folks who live there. Conversely, though, I think if I want to order a bottle from Binny's, it shouldn't be anyone's business but mine since I live a location where such transactions occur legally. Alas, not so.

[cowdery]

Local option, meaning alcohol sales can be banned down to the voting precinct level, has been in Louisville for a long time. My neighborhood in Crescent Hill was dry, voted that way because of a notorious bar at Frankfort and Stilz. When Dettrich's wanted to open up in the old Crescent Theater, which is right around the corner, they had to put a wet-dry vote on the ballot.

[boone]

Local option, meaning alcohol sales can be banned down to the voting precinct level, has been in Louisville for a long time. My neighborhood in Crescent Hill was dry, voted that way because of a notorious bar at Frankfort and Stilz. When Dettrich's wanted to open up in the old Crescent Theater, which is right around the corner, they had to put a wet-dry vote on the ballot.

Now, you can sample that product before buying the entire bottle.

"Sampling Permits" will be the new wave.

http://www.kystandard.com/cgi-bin/storyviewnew.cgi?091+OpinionEditorial.20071116-5318-091-091010.Full+OpinionEditorial

[boone]

I've always known that we have many, many dry counties in Kentucky. Also, there are many wet counties in Kentucky. Lately, we have partial counties...the sale of alcohol by the drink at restaurants is allowed in many "dry" counties.

Now, I see it can be from neighborhood to neighborhood. This link tells of what's going on in Louisville right now. I didn't know this could happen. I've always thought the vote was from county to county.

Dustie finds in that old neighborhood many be a thing of the past.

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?s=7339232

The firm hand of the law has been enforced...

Those precincts are "dry"...

http://www.fox41.com/article/view/16323/?tf=wdrbarticleview.tpl

[ThomasH]

It seems like the liquor laws in this country are a joke. In my area, your not allowed to sell liquor, beer or wine within 1000 feet of a church or school. Recently, I took my kids to Chucky Cheese and guess what, they were selling beer and wine on tap. I guess if you have enough money and grease the right palm, you can do whatever you want. In Akron, Ohio a few years ago, city council enacted an ordinance to ban the sale of malt liquor and 40's in certain areas to try to cut down on crime. Now if I was dead set on raising some hell and all of the sudden my local retailer quite selling 40's but sold 6, 12 and 18 packs off beer, do you really think it would make a difference? I guess they figure malt liquor has magical properties that regular beer doesn't. Or maybe the number 40 is lucky, while multiples of 12 or 22 aren't!

Thomas

[ILLfarmboy]

... In Akron, Ohio a few years ago, city council enacted an ordinance to ban the sale of malt liquor and 40's in certain areas to try to cut down on crime... Thomas

Not being a beer drinker I have no idea what makes malt liquor malt liquor. I find the term confusing for two reasons. Isn't all beer made from barley malt and doesn't liquor generally refer to distilled spirits not fermented beverages?

And perhaps more troubling, it sounds like there is perhaps a racial edge to this particular issue akin to the antiquated laws in the Old West that forbade the selling of whiskey to Indians.

[Old Lamplighter]

And perhaps more troubling, it sounds like there is perhaps a racial edge to this particular issue akin to the antiquated laws in the Old West that forbade the selling of whiskey to Indians.

Maybe it does have such an 'edge' as you say in some parts of the country or county/city/town. Not my intent to branch this thread off into another, more proper category of this forum for such discussions.......but, I have seen such actions & heard this argument in other places in which I have lived. To be more frank, I am speaking of municipalities where malt liquor sales were either discouraged or regulated to some degree in predominately African-American communities in the name of curbing crime. Now, that was never the spoken word.....but, discussing the subject with former co-workers at the time who were from said community, it was certainly implied by the local powers-that-be by their actions against sellers of alcohol in that particular area of town.

[JeffRenner]

Not being a beer drinker I have no idea what makes malt liquor malt liquor. I find the term confusing for two reasons. Isn't all beer made from barley malt and doesn't liquor generally refer to distilled spirits not fermented beverages?

And perhaps more troubling, it sounds like there is perhaps a racial edge to this particular issue akin to the antiquated laws in the Old West that forbade the selling of whiskey to Indians.

It's a tax classification item. In some states, more than 6% can no longer be called beer, but malt liquor. Ironically, these strong malt liquors are usually made with more sugar than malt, which makes them cheaper to produce.

Similarly, in some states, a malt beverage with more than a certain percent of alcohol, again typically six percent, must be labeled "ale." This is an artifact from the old days, when ales were stronger than lagers. So you have the strange anomaly of German bock and doppelbock beers, which are definitely lagers, being labeled ales because they are too strong to be labeled beer.

Texas is a prime driver of these silly labeling laws.

And I agree, that there seems to be a racist edge to this. Malt liquor, especially in the 40 oz. bottles, is marketed to and bought heavily by inner city African-Americans.

Jeff

[ILLfarmboy]

Thanks for the explanation, Jeff.

Not being a beer drinker I was unaware of these differences. I have to admit if I had a glass of lager and a glass of ale sitting in front of me, I wouldn't be able to tell you which was which. I just never acquired a taste for beer. Not that I'm against trying new things. Last year I ordered a bottle of Killian's Irish Red in a bar. I found it not to my liking. Sort of like the fact that every five or six years I give beets a try, just to see if I still don't like 'em.

[RoyalWater]

I lived in the coal fields of E. KY, WV, & VA for a while. Some of the counties took a slightly different approach to wet/dry. For example: Pike County (one of the largest counties of any state E. of the Mississippi River) was dry in all jurisdictions excepting the city limits of Pikeville, the county seat (more than 40 miles from some parts of the county). Whitesburg had a winery but otherwise Letcher county, including Whitesburg itself, was dry excepting the premises of the winery. Some equally strange measures existed in other counties across the coal fields.

[barturtle]

Cities in KY that have their own police force are allowed to have wet/dry vote. These are then referred to as "moist".

[jeff]

I lived in the coal fields of E. KY, WV, & VA for a while. Some of the counties took a slightly different approach to wet/dry. For example: Pike County (one of the largest counties of any state E. of the Mississippi River) was dry in all jurisdictions excepting the city limits of Pikeville, the county seat (more than 40 miles from some parts of the county). Whitesburg had a winery but otherwise Letcher county, including Whitesburg itself, was dry excepting the premises of the winery. Some equally strange measures existed in other counties across the coal fields.

Just FYI, Whitesburg just voted in liquor by the drink inside the city limits. I know, I couldn't believe it myself. There is now a little place in the middle of Main street that actually carries a good selection of bourbon and beer, and very reasonable prices. I can't remember the name.

Actually it is SECO that has the winery. I know the owner. The wine he produces is extremely limited by the fact that he MUST grow all of his grapes on his property. Needless to say that the wines are somewhat lacking.

[jeff]

Sort of like the fact that every five or six years I give beets a try, just to see if I still don't like 'em.

You're trying them too often:lol:

Man I hate Beets :puke:

[NickAtMartinis]

You're trying them too often:lol:

Man I hate Beets :puke:

I never liked beets either. But then my wife got me into them by putting them in a salad. I love them now.

[JeffRenner]

I never liked beets either. But then my wife got me into them by putting them in a salad. I love them now.

Not me. I keep trying them for some reason, more often than every five or six years, and they still taste like dirt to me.

Beets may be the only food I don't like.

Of course, I haven't yet tried sea cucumber.

Jeff

[Tracy Hightower]

We have unusual situation in the county in which I live in Tennessee. Beer sales and consumption are allowed. Liquor sales and consumption have always been prohibited.

Last year the state legislature passed what is called the Tennessee River Resort Distric (TRRD) act.

This act only applies to counties in which the Tennessee River either borders or crosses and municipalities within those counties who's city limits are within 3 miles of the nearest bank of the Tennessee River.

There are only nine counties in the state that meet the requirements of the TRRD act. For each of these counties that elect to accept the TRRD act they can then issue licenses to bars, restaurants and clubs to sell liquor by the drink. However the said bars restaurants and clubs must be located within 3 miles of the nearest bank of the Tennessee River.

The purpose behind the TRRD act was to improve tourism in the 9 economically depressed counties that border or is crossed by the Tennessee River. The liquor by the drink option was created to give incentive to some of the big name restaurants and hotels to locate in these areas as they would not consider it if liquor by the drink remained prohibited.

There are a couple of other things as well such as each county and qualifying municipality gets to retain 4.59% of the total sales tax (for everything sold, not just liquor) that would otherwise go to the state provided that 1/2 of that retained sales tax is spent on tourism development.

The funny thing about this issue was that most people did not care about the economic benefits that this could bring to these counties. They only seemed concerned about the fact that the evil liquor was going to be sold here. Many were opposed to it on that issue alone.

This act was approved last year and tonight I went and had dinner in a restaurant that served liquor by the drink in my own county for the first time in the twenty years I have been here.