Nope, still no "cold" beer from grocery and convenience stores in Indiana.

We needn't be legal scholars to focus on just these words: "Immediately consumable cold beer." One sense there might be a revolution in the offing if Bud Light Lime could be consumed at a warm temperature.

Maybe as a toddy.

Grocery, convenience stores can't sell cold beer, appeals court says, by Kristine Guerra (Indy Star)

... "Indiana explains that the goal of this regulatory scheme is to curb underage beer consumption by limiting the sale of immediately consumable cold beer," the opinion says.

In other court news, "Monarch Beverage Co., the state's largest wholesaler of beer and wine, lost a legal battle to allow it to distribute both beer and liquor."

But what if minors began drinking warm beer? Then what?

Granted, if you're looking for contradictory and often hypocritical weirdness within codes regulating beverage alcohol, each state in the union has something unique (and often hilarious) to offer. This said, Indiana certainly does appear determined to remain decidedly more weird than most.

Court Rules on Cold Beer Restrictions (InsideINdianaBusiness.com)

A U.S. District Court has upheld a state law that does not allow convenience, grocery and pharmacy stores to sell cold beer. The Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association took the matter to court, claiming the law is unconstitutional because it favors one class of retailer over another. The organization says it will continue to fight for "fairness" in the marketplace.

Oh dear; fairness in alcohol vending. Unfortunately, the first commandment taught to all bureaucrats seeking to regulate human consumption of alcoholic drinks is that "Thou hast no obligation to be fair." Personally, I don't think it's fair for the Centerplates of the world to price gouge in sports venues.

As noted previously, I've no dog in the big box/groceries/convenience stores vs. traditional package stores fight, apart from detesting corporate/chain entities on general principle. But even I have learned something from Inside Indiana Business's report, underlined in the passage below.

Indiana remains the only state in the country that regulates beer sales based on temperature. The law does not apply to wine products, thus allowing convenience stores to sell these products cold. According to IPCA and its members, the law causes confusion among customers who are able to buy cold wine but are forced to purchase beer warm, even though wine products contain approximately double the amount of alcohol.

Proponents of regulating beer based on temperature claimed that liquor stores are better at preventing the sale of alcohol to minors.

Dude, it depends on what the temperature of "cold" is. Right?

Package store lobbyist says Hoosiers support restrictions on selling alcohol.

Our non-local chain newspaper recently erected a paywall, but s long as you're not a frequent visitor, you shouldn't have to tunnel through to read the article.

In it, Indiana's package store lobbyist makes the case against relaxing controls on the availability of alcohol in Indiana, which is to say, against the notion that Wal-Mart should be allowed to sell cold beer to go on a Sunday. Note that he cleverly avoids arguing along the lines of whether the best of all possible worlds includes this notion. Rather, it's about whether there should be regulation at the start.

I don't have a dog in this fight, so give it up for Steve Kohrman, "chairman of the Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers, the industry voice for package liquor stores."

KOHRMAN: It's the same old argument

Heading into the 2014 legislative session in Indiana, the argument again is being made — in a tired and worn way — that Indiana’s laws controlling the sales of alcohol are outmoded, inconvenient and circumspect.

In reality, the restrictions on selling alcohol — both through administrative permitting rules and states laws — have been whittled away for years by massive retailers, big-box chains and gas stations that want to sell alcohol with as few restrictions as possible ...

... So do Hoosiers support selling alcohol everywhere, anytime by anyone? It just isn’t so. If this was a true advocacy movement with real consumers behind it, we doubt we’d be having this argument year after year.

Sundays in Indiana?

A number of blog readers have sent links from various news outlets previewing this story. When the curtain rises on the 2011 legislature, it will be the same basic outline as before: Grocery and convenience stores wish to dismantle remaining Sunday alcohol sales restrictions and discard the time-honored ban on cold beer at places also selling to-go gasoline (among others), while package store interests see the beginning of the end for the small family liquor store if competition is opened up. Both "sides" are right, in their own way.

Now what? I suppose that's why we elect these folks.

New Effort For Sunday Alcohol Sales To Be Launched In Indiana, by Gabe Bullard (WFPL)

The Indiana General Assembly will convene next month, and among the first bills introduced will be a measure to lift restrictions on alcohol sales. Some lawmakers and retailers are making yet another attempt at easing regulations.

Indiana politicking: Cold beer and Sunday sales for your neighborhood hypermarket?

Everyone knew that a big legislative push was coming this year in Indiana from retail entities not permitted to sell alcohol for carry-out on Sunday, or to sell cold beer anytime.

The Indiana Association of Beverage Retailers, which represents package stores, remains opposed, and the reason why I chose this article over an Indy Star boilerplate reprint in today's Courier-Journal is this reference to a liquor store owner in Leo-Cedarville:

"Kohrman said he stocks microbrews and imports that cannot be found at other retail locations."

Think about the products you typically see at corporate supermarkets and drug emporiums. If you've ever been involved with the booze business, you already know how and why those (mostly) mass-produced alcoholic products make it onto the shelf in such venues for razor-thin margins. It's food and drink for thought.

Repeal of alcohol blue laws sought; Group revives legislative push for Sunday carryout sales, by Jeff Wiehe and Niki Kelly (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette).

FORT WAYNE – With more time to convince legislators during a budget year, a statewide coalition of drug, grocery and convenience stores is confident in repealing a law that bans the sale of alcohol at those businesses on Sundays.