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Rafferty Wants to Loosen Pennsylvania Beer Laws

By PW Staff

Add Comment | Comments: 2 | Posted Feb. 17, 2010

BusinessWeek reports State Sen. John Rafferty is proposing a law to allow sales of beer six-packs at convenience stores and groceries -- without the steep markup price. "Since at least the early 1980s, there have been efforts to broaden the places where people can buy six-packs in Pennsylvania. Those efforts have all failed due to opposition by the taverns, distributors or anyone else worried about such a change. In the last two-year legislative session, Rafferty's bill to allow distributorships to sell six-packs and bars and restaurants to sell cases collapsed amid feuding between taverns, distributors, brewers and others. This version may be no different. Distributors are poised to oppose Rafferty's legislation, saying the additional competition from big retailers such as Wal-Mart and Wegmans will put them out of business. "If they were all selling beer, I'm sure it would affect my business," said David Shipula, the owner of Beer Super in Wilkes-Barre and president of the Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania."