Philly Bottle Sale rules

[Dan_S]

I am going to the NHC in Philadelphia and I am hoping that someone can help me with some information. This may have already been answered elsewhere in the Forum, but I haven't seen it.
I understand that the laws governing the purchase of bottled beer are not as liberal as I am used to in Milwaukee. Does anyone know the rules about purchasing small quantities of beer (i.e. less than a case)? And if it is possible, any recommendations on a location near the Conference hotel? Or even in the Philly area?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Dan

[PSUHomebrewer]

You can buy singles to a case just depends on where you go. Bottle shops and sone supermarkets such as wegmans will sell beer in singles 6packs or 12 packs, basically anything totaling under 192oz. If you want more than 192oz you need to go to a distributor.

As for places to buy beer I can't help with, I'm to far out of the city to know.

[Dan_S]

Thanks for the response. Things are not as draconian as I had been led to believe.
I was able to find a few Deli's etc listed on the web reasonably close to the hotel. It looks like at least a couple are rated highly as far as craft beer selection.
All is well....

[grod]

You can buy singles to a case just depends on where you go. Bottle shops and sone supermarkets such as wegmans will sell beer in singles 6packs or 12 packs, basically anything totaling under 192oz. If you want more than 192oz you need to go to a distributor.

As for places to buy beer I can't help with, I'm to far out of the city to know.

Don't you also need a permission note from your father and know the secret handshake?

love

g

[PSUHomebrewer]

Na no note or handshake.

What sucks about pa beer laws is not the sale but the selection. Pa makes the breweries pay the state tax/permitting fees prior to being able to sell in the state. so it's not exactly where can you buy beer, but what beer you can buy.

A lot of people that live near nj and de usually will go there to buy beer because you get a larger selection. That is also why most online stores wouldn't ship to pa.

[BullPuckey]

Na no note or handshake.

What sucks about pa beer laws is not the sale but the selection. Pa makes the breweries pay the state tax/permitting fees prior to being able to sell in the state. so it's not exactly where can you buy beer, but what beer you can buy.

A lot of people that live near nj and de usually will go there to buy beer because you get a larger selection. That is also why most online stores wouldn't ship to pa.

I couldn't disagree more. Pennsylvania has the largest selection of any state in the country. More breweries send their beer to PA than anywhere else. I believe the exodus to NJ and DE that you reference is regarding the sale of wine and spirits. Since the sale of those is controlled by the state, the selection is typically poor and the service at the stores worse. But since beer is sold by private distributors and wholesalers, that problem doesn't apply.

Anyway, PA Beer Purchasing 101 for anyone wondering:
You can buy beer from a distributor. Prices are good but you MUST buy by the case.
You can also buy beer from SOME delis/restaurants/bars/grocery stores/bottle shops. Prices are marked up considerably but you can purchase any quantity. Depending on where you are, selection can be limited by the amount of space for coolers/shelves. These places usually are not selling beer as their primary function.

Some excellent places to buy beer reasonably close to the conference hotel (no car needed):
The Foodery - bottles/6packs - http://www.fooderybeer.com/
Hawthorne's - bottles/6packs - http://hawthornecafe.com/
Bella Vista - cases - http://bellavistabeverage.com/

To find what beers/breweries PA gets:
http://www.seekabrew.com/distro/index.html

[PSUHomebrewer]

Na no note or handshake.

What sucks about pa beer laws is not the sale but the selection. Pa makes the breweries pay the state tax/permitting fees prior to being able to sell in the state. so it's not exactly where can you buy beer, but what beer you can buy.

A lot of people that live near nj and de usually will go there to buy beer because you get a larger selection. That is also why most online stores wouldn't ship to pa.

I couldn't disagree more. Pennsylvania has the largest selection of any state in the country. More breweries send their beer to PA than anywhere else. I believe the exodus to NJ and DE that you reference is regarding the sale of wine and spirits. Since the sale of those is controlled by the state, the selection is typically poor and the service at the stores worse. But since beer is sold by private distributors and wholesalers, that problem doesn't apply.

Anyway, PA Beer Purchasing 101 for anyone wondering:
You can buy beer from a distributor. Prices are good but you MUST buy by the case.
You can also buy beer from SOME delis/restaurants/bars/grocery stores/bottle shops. Prices are marked up considerably but you can purchase any quantity. Depending on where you are, selection can be limited by the amount of space for coolers/shelves. These places usually are not selling beer as their primary function.

Some excellent places to buy beer reasonably close to the conference hotel (no car needed):
The Foodery - bottles/6packs - http://www.fooderybeer.com/
Hawthorne's - bottles/6packs - http://hawthornecafe.com/
Bella Vista - cases - http://bellavistabeverage.com/

To find what beers/breweries PA gets:
http://www.seekabrew.com/distro/index.html

I know most of the people that are in my club drive down to state line liquor to buy beer or total wine almost weekly for it because the selection is far greater than any of the shops that are around us in west Chester. I know also from living out in state college and in NePA that the selection there is even less that what is around west Chester, not to say in the city there may be a few good bottle shops, but for the the majority it isn't.

[Guido]

...and don't forget the 192 oz. rule (16 - 12 oz. bottles)! That's the limit for a purchase. Usually, they'll let you take it to your car and check-out again.