Westy’s, Derry, Tanczos & Al’s Of Hampden Weigh In on PA Beer Laws
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MyBeer Buzz
The battle rages on in PA for beer & liquor distribution reform. Pennlive hit a number of our statewide distributor & bottle-shop owners for their opinions:
Last year, the Malt Beer Distributors Association of Pennsylvania collected more than 70,000 signatures on a petition calling for beer distributors to be able to sell six packs.
Mark Tanczos, president of the association, said the 1,200 beer distributors in the state want to give customers what they’ve wanted for a long time — the ability to be able to buy a variety of beer, including single bottles, six-packs and cases.
In his view, the argument makes sense because beer distributors are already set up to sell beer. Tanczos asked, Why not allow them to sell smaller quantities, especially of popular craft beers which are priced between $35 and $60 a case or more?
This spring, the Pennsylvania Beer Alliance, a group representing beer wholesalers, said privatization initiatives could pose a risk to the beer business in Pennsylvania and create an uneven playing field.
Family-run beer distributors would have a hard time competing against national and international companies such as Costco’s and Walmarts, they said.
At this point, Tanczos said passing legislation to allow distributors to sell by the six-pack makes more sense than privatizing the state’s liquor system.
“It’s so much easier to do this little fix,” he said.
But what could hold back beer distributors from getting what they want are the interests of tavern, bar and restaurant owners.
Operators of bars and restaurants say they would lose business if distributors could sell six-packs.
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