D.C.’s Big Beer Ban


Participation Lager… Originally uploaded by dharmabumx

Well folks, it seems, much like the application of parking rates, D.C.’s leadership have painted with a large brush in order to solve a detailed problem. On February 9th, the D.C. Council enacted, at the behest of of several ANC members, a ban on the sale of single bottles of beer in several wards in D.C.. The Washington City Paper has an excellent write up on the issue. The local beer aficionado and brewers list (which includes many of the brewers for local brew pubs in the area, local breweries and others), DC-Beer, has lit up discussing the issue. 

In short, to paraphrase the City Paper, too many people in certain areas of the city have been pissing in the wrong people’s yards after a night of drinking and revelry. So far Ward 2 (Georgetown) and 6 (Capitol Hill) are directly affected (can anybody say “staffers”) but has the unintended affect on those who drink beer for taste rather than rote consumption. A number of specialty stores (or those who actually stock something other than the corn-fed varieties, such as Budweiser) are left shipping their stock to the basement to avoid penalties while trying to get responses back from unresponsive commissioners and councilmen. I ask, dear readers, have you been affected by this issue, or have an opinion?

Computer Geek, Music Junkie, Movie Fanatic, Beer Aficionado, Part-Time Amateur Photographer… Amélie has lived in D.C. off-and-on for the past 23 years, always calling the National Capitol region her home. She’s also probably one of those types of odd-folks with realms of useless trivia you’d like to have on your side during a pub quiz.

3 thoughts on “D.C.’s Big Beer Ban”

  1. I wonder if shops will end up doing with 22oz and 750mL bottles what places like the Logan Circle Whole Foods have had to do with smaller single bottles for a long time where they just take two bottles and tape them together to make a “multiple serving” pack. If so, that the council would be encouraging customers to buy 44oz of beer instead of 22 seems like an ironic consequence of the rule.

  2. Yup, Schneiders on Capitol Hill has pulled their stock of craft brews, Belgian beers, etc. and is looking for a solution, I was told. This really sucks. But as noted elsewhere, the winos aren’t generally coming in & dropping $12+ on a big Chimay.

    The problem is one that needs to be addressed (I have the pleasure of often stepping around piss and cleaning human excrement from my property… best to wait ’til it freezes), but there’s gotta be a way to differentiate between those who are spending top $ for a craft brew and those who are looking for a quick cheap fix from a tall Blue Bull.

  3. Pingback: Daily Food Blog Roundup: Get Fat on Pancakes - Young & Hungry - Washington City Paper