HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A state Senate committee is considering a bill that would change the way beer is sold in Pennsylvania, permitting distributors to sell half-cases of beer, also known as 12-packs, in addition to full cases of 24 or 30 cans or bottles that they've always been allowed to sell, reported The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The bill also would let distributors sell different kinds of products that are available in other states, such as 15-packs and 18-packs of beer.
Another part of the bill, which senators called a consumer-friendly [image-nocss] measure,'' would liberalize the rules for those taverns, bars and restaurants that are licensed to sell beer. They are currently limited to selling one or two six-packs, but under Senate Bill 674, they could sell up to three six-packs at a time.
This would be a change to the beer industry. Consumers want change and flexibility,'' said state Senator Sean Logan, D-Monroeville, the sponsor of the bill and the minority chairman of the Senate Law & Justice Committee.
Opinion is divided on the measure, said the report. Critics say things have run well for decades under the current rules and things shouldn't change.
The bill would also affect groceries and convenience stores, such as Sheetz, Wegman's and Weis, which are seeking permission to sell beer, the report said. Sheetz would like to sell beer at a store in Altoona, but so far has been blocked by a court decision. Weis sells beer at one of its grocery stores in eastern Pennsylvania, while Wegman's would like to sell beer at its 11 grocery stores in Pennsylvania, including two in Erie and one in State College.
Randolph St. John, an official of the Pennsylvania Convenience Store Council, which represents groceries and c-stores, told the newspaper that his group supports the bill.
Beer distributors are more divided, said the report, citing senate officials, with some fearing greater competition from taverns or c-stores if they are allowed to sell up to three six-packs. Some tavern owners, on the other hand, are not happy about distributors getting the right to sell a 12-pack, which now only taverns can do.
Logan thinks the bill will be approved by the committee the week of June 4, but he is not sure what will happen in the full Senate, according to the report.
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