U.S. Laws Against Drinking

[Slow]

U.S. Laws Against Drinking

In Fairbanks, Alaska, it's illegal to serve liquor to a moose. By contrast, in Ohio it's legal to serve booze to a fish, but not if you get it drunk.

Ever since the repeal of Prohibition, alcohol laws in this country have been a bit nutty.

Take the business of bars. Some states mandate sitting, while others require standing at the bar to drink. Texans may take up to but not more than three sips of beer while standing. Some jurisdictions require the interior of public drinking establishments to be visible from the street; others specifically prohibit that.

In Iowa it's illegal to run a tab. And don't even think of having a drop after closing hours there - not even if you own the bar. It's hard to imagine the incident that led to Iowa's law stating that if an employee pours water down the drain while a police officer is drinking at the bar, the water is considered an alcoholic beverage intended for unlawful purposes.

Bars and restaurants in North Dakota are forbidden to serve beer and pretzels at the same time. Nebraska bars may not sell beer except when simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.

If you skip the bar and head to a liquor store in Indiana, you won't find any soda or milk in the cooler. They may, however, sell warm soft drinks. In California, no alcoholic beverages may be displayed within 5 feet of a cash register if the store sells both alcohol and motor fuel. Presumably so you don't confuse your Colt 45 with your 10W40.

Philosophical drinkers in Houston might ponder the fact that it's illegal to buy beer after midnight Sunday but perfectly all right any time Monday, which starts - that's right - right after midnight Sunday.

The law considers some things best left unsaid. Like the word refreshing, prohibited on any alcoholic beverage in the country. The newsletters and ads of California producers may not list retailers or restaurants that sell their products.

In New York City, the word saloon is forbidden, a fact that restaurateur Michael O'Neil didn't realize until his sign was already up. Patrons now belly up to the bar of O'Neil's Baloon.

Legislators are adamant about protecting children under 21 from the demon rum. In Missouri, if your kid takes out the trash and it contains even one empty wine bottle, he can be charged with illegal possession of alcohol. In Michigan, it's illegal for a youngster to give a grown-up a bottle of booze. Pretty lenient, considering that in Kentucky even an adult could spend five years in jail for sending a gift of beer, wine or spirits to a friend.

If the friend were in Texas, he might have a long wait, anyway, considering that delivery drivers carrying anything alcoholic must detour around the state's dry counties. Could this sort of clarity of thinking have anything to do with the fact that the entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a recipe for making beer that could be used at home?

If you decide to send your youngster on a semester abroad to absorb some foreign common sense, don't imagine he'll get a taste of wine in Bordeaux or beer at the Hoffbrau Haus. The Drug Free Schools and Campuses Act prohibits Americans under 21 from conforming to the drinking laws and customs of their host countries.

Enough to make you sit down on the curb and cry. Which is perfectly legal in St. Louis, as long as, while you're sitting there, you don't also drink beer from a bucket.

[easyrider_au]

Some strange rules there indeed.
I remember when Mike Tyson won his first heavyweight belt.....He was too young to buy a beer in his own state.

When I was in Alabama (I think it was Alabama)...anyways I was in a bar & was told it's a " dry county"...It was ok to sell beer & wine, but no spirits?... WTF?????????????
Lucky for me, I only drink beer (& shooters in LOS)

[Dodger]

Thanks for this thread Slow, youv'e cleared up a lot of my own misunderstandings regarding Marc26, Seafox, Jb etc, explains everything!!!!!!

[MrDK]

Originally Posted by easyrider_au

When I was in Alabama (I think it was Alabama)...anyways I was in a bar & was told it's a " dry county"...It was ok to sell beer & wine, but no spirits?... WTF?????????????
Lucky for me, I only drink beer (& shooters in LOS)

In the bible belt of America there are a number of "dry counties'. Most do not serve even beer, except in private clubs where you can buy a day's membership for a few bucks. IIRC one of the more famous US bourbons are made in a dry county, as I don't drink that stuff I can't remember what it is. .... and it is not Bourbon County, Kentucky

[Petter]

Jack Daniels is located in Lynchburg i think,but JD is for many not a bourbon

Think someone mention this before

[MrDK]

Originally Posted by Petter

Jack Daniels is located in Lynchburg i think,but JD is for many not a bourbon

Think someone mention this before

That's it. This from Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Daniel's ):

Interestingly enough, Moore County, where the Jack Daniel's distillery is located, is one of the state's many dry counties

[Critical Mass]

Originally Posted by Slow

U.S. Laws Against Drinking

Take the business of bars. Some states mandate sitting, while others require standing at the bar to drink. Texans may take up to but not more than three sips of beer while standing.

The Drug Free Schools and Campuses Act prohibits Americans under 21 from conforming to the drinking laws and customs of their host countries.

I wonder if someone will go through the statute books to reform such laws.

Slow, what happens after your third sip of beer standing at a Texan bar?
Do you sit on your stool then stand again for more sips?

A drinking age of twenty one is a bit tough, when you can pretty well do most things at eighteen including kill in the armed forces.

Going off topic a little.

In Australia it's against the law to drive a cab without a bail of hay in the boot!

[Petter]

hehe just a sidenote

Jack Daniels is a Tennessee whiskey, which is a different style than what can legally be called "bourbon."

By definition, bourbon must be 1) produced in the US, 2) made from at least 51% corn, 3) aged in brand new, charred oak barrels, and 4) be distilled at no more than 160 proof.

Jack Daniels takes its aged whiskey out of the barrel and filters it through charcoal to "soften" it (this is where the definition of "Tennessee whiskey" came from.) You can't alter bourbon from the barrel to the bottle in any way, so JD loses the chance to call it bourbon legally, even if it met the four points above.

On a side note, Lynchburg, TN (which is where Jack Daniel's distillery is located) is located in a "dry" county - you can't drink any JD at the distillery, or legally buy it anywhere in the vicinity

[kwgregg88]

in my home state of louisiana, we have parrishs instead of counties. in vernon where i am from it is legal to sell or buy any type of beer or spirits, but the one just south is dry. in my parrish it is against the law to sell, rent, or view any movie or video with an x rating, but in the dry parish to the south you can get porn in any corner video store or most gas stations.

go figure

[Slow]

I grew up where the "Blue Laws" were rigidly enforced. can't buy and form of drink on Sunday, also can not buy a broom etc. While most places don't practice those laws they have never been repealed and are still on the books.

[Slow]

Wikipedia has a full history of Blue Laws

[zarf]

As a country that managed to elect such statesmen as Ronald Reagan and Bush the younger, these laws do not surprise me as much as they should!

[dawsey]

There are plenty of strange laws around the world, some of which are printed here.

The world's strangest laws - Times Online

[MrDK]

Originally Posted by zarf

As a country that managed to elect such statesmen as Ronald Reagan and Bush the younger, these laws do not surprise me as much as they should!

Certainly you would never find strange laws on the books like that in Scotland/UK