Alcohol rules in Alabama/Birmingham? (neighborhood, live, stores)

[Threestep2]

According to today's Birmingham paper an ABC store in Hoover is closing.

[Bravo35223]

Alabama is one of several states where the sale of alcohol is controlled directly by state government. Virginia is another. On a recent business trip to the high tech suburbs of Washington DC, I had to go to a 'state store' to purchase alcohol. So it is much more common than you think and by no means unique to Alabama.

Now to my opinion of it - I hate it. The prices are the highest in the nation!

And one more point of trivia - in the Cities of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, there is no Closing Law in bars. They can be open 24 hours a day except that they must close at 3 am on Sunday morning before reopening nine hours later at Noon.

This is very unusual in the U.S. - to permit 7X24 operation of bars and one of the more liberal things about alcohol in Birmingham.

[Reactionary]

eeyore - TVA is the Tennessee Vally Authority, a quasi-governmental electric utility producer (hydro, coal, nuclear) that provides power to north AL, much of TN, and western KY. That's what makes giving their payments in lieu of taxes to dry counties outside their service area inexplicable.

Bravo - it was a coalition of progressives (liberals) and churchies who supported Prohibition. Socialists are no fun.

[Bravo35223]

Originally Posted by Reactionary

eeyore - TVA is the Tennessee Vally Authority, a quasi-governmental electric utility producer (hydro, coal, nuclear) that provides power to north AL, much of TN, and western KY. That's what makes giving their payments in lieu of taxes to dry counties outside their service area inexplicable.

Bravo - it was a coalition of progressives (liberals) and churchies who supported Prohibition. Socialists are no fun.

I'm not talking about individuals who are "liberal". I am saying that having bars open 7 X 24 meas the statutes pertaining to operating an establishment where alcoholic beverages are liberal.

[Reactionary]

Bravo - OK. It struck me funny, because you were talking about 'liberal' operating hours and I viewed that in the context of 'progressive' Prohibition (dry counties are a leftover from that era). Maybe I should use more smilies :-)

[Eeyore]

Reactionary: Thank you. Now I know who they are. But Im still not sure why a power company fr. TN would care if people in AL drink alcohol.

Another large proponant of prohibition was a prominant family from Minnesota. The patriarch was a Methodist preacher and dentist who was in charge of communion. He strongly held that "wine" in the Bible was really grape juice. What was the family's name? Welch. lol

Interestingly it would have been impossible for Jesus to have used unfermented grape juice to institute the "communion" because it was in the spring. Grapes do not grow in the spring, and there was no way at that time to prevent fermentation of the grapes.

Here's a quote:


"The success of grape juice in the American market clearly owed much to preexisting prohibitionist sentiment, as its invention had; but Charles Welch understood the importance of advertising, and he effectively combined moral uplift with commercial astuteness. He founded two magazines to promote his product, one called The Acorn in 1875, and five years later another called The Progress : in these Welch could put his advertisements of grape juice together with editorial matter promoting the temperance cause and the virtues of Welch's grape juice, the whole flavored with fundamentalist Christianity and the offer of premiums. "If your druggist hasn't the kind that was used in Galilee containing not one particle of alcohol, write us for prices," as one ad put it. And, since temperance and religion might not be attraction enough, grape juice was described as good for everything that might ail one: "Dr. Welch's Grape Juice is especially recommended in Typhoid Fever, Pneumonia, Pluritis [sic ], Peritonitis, Rheumatis, for Lying-in Patients and for all forms of chronic diseases except Diabetes Melitus." Since Charles Welch certainly did especially recommend his grape juice to all and sundry, there was that much truth in this claim, and, perhaps, not too much harm. One may note that for many years grape juice was a drugstore, rather than food store, item, which no doubt affected the character of its advertising."--A History of Wine in America

eeyore

[Inkedchic]

Actually the state ABC stores are cheaper than the mom and pop liquor stores... but it is your choice where you want to go and what you want to pay... Jefferson Co. is wet, and yes only allowed to sell on sunday after 12 noon... can't get a jump on the bible thumpers now can we?? roflmao

[MadHaus]

Eeyore, you've put me off Welch's grape juice for good.

The last time I stopped at a privately owned liquor store, the clerk actually suggested (nicely, not in an ugly tone) that we take an extra suitcase or two on our next trip to FL and stock up before returning home. He was clearly disgusted by the price differences.

[HipLib]

Originally Posted by Bravo35223

Alabama is one of several states where the sale of alcohol is controlled directly by state government. Virginia is another. On a recent business trip to the high tech suburbs of Washington DC, I had to go to a 'state store' to purchase alcohol. So it is much more common than you think and by no means unique to Alabama.

Now to my opinion of it - I hate it. The prices are the highest in the nation!

And one more point of trivia - in the Cities of Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, there is no Closing Law in bars. They can be open 24 hours a day except that they must close at 3 am on Sunday morning before reopening nine hours later at Noon.

This is very unusual in the U.S. - to permit 7X24 operation of bars and one of the more liberal things about alcohol in Birmingham.

This is no longer true in Tuscaloosa. The city council set closing times about 5 years ago. The closing time is 2 am monday through thursday and 3 am on saturday morning.

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by Eeyore

But Im still not sure why a power company fr. TN would care if people in AL drink alcohol.

TVA is not a "power company." TVA is a unique quasi-governmental agency that serves the people of the Tennessee River Valley. Learn more: Tennessee Valley Authority home page
TVA holds a LOT of property in northern Alabama (from Cullman up). "In-lieu-of" payments are in lieu of property taxes that TVA would pay if it were NOT a government agency.
For some strange reason that I forget, TVA in-lieu-of payments are distributed to the entire state of Alabama, even though it does not serve the entire state.