With the District's beer renaissance in full swing, sometimes local laws lag behind libations. That's the case with growlers, the half-gallon glass bottles that are the preferred container for beer connoisseurs, brewers and some retailers. more ›

Yay! It's Repeal Day, the day on which we celebrate the 1933 constitutional amendment to abandon the wrong-headed policy of prohibition. Everywhere but in the District, that is. more ›

There's no doubt that Washington has always been a city which loves its booze -- but that's even more true today, as research shows that people in America are drinking more alcohol than they have in decades. more ›

The District's is seeing something of a drinking revival these days, but it didn't have to be that way -- a new book finds that prior to prohibition, the District was a drinkers paradise. more ›

Much like prohibition just pushed drinking underground, the District's selective ban on single beers has just led producers to slap two cans together and price them competitively. more ›

Halloween weekend is coming up, and if you're anything like me, you probably still have no earthly idea what to wear for a costume. But at least you won't have to worry about having a pocket free to carry cash for a ride home. more ›

Until recently, if you wanted a Bloody Mary with your Sunday brunch, you'd have to wait until 10 a.m. But as of last week, early morning Sunday drinking became a possibility, as restaurants were given the go-ahead to apply to serve alcohol starting at 8 a.m. more ›

Nothing says "way to go guys" for saving my home and all my worldly possessions like a case of beer. But according to D.C. Fire Department Chief Kenneth Ellerbe, a fire station is no place for sudsy goodness. more ›

In belt-tightening times, local jurisdictions look to suck as much extra money out of residents as possible. But what type of tax will bring in additional revenue without driving people away from that activity? Alcohol. more ›

Virginia's wine industry -- the territory of such luminaries as Donald Trump -- is booming. more ›

First, it was the disposable bag tax. Now, the potential expansion of laws prohibiting smoking in common areas of buildings, a similar version of which the District made law last year. Which D.C. code will you be copying next next, MoCo? more ›

At Mongtomery County Circuit Judge Eric Johnson's fingertips: whether Maryland will join with most of the country by imposing some liability on bars for the drunken actions of its customers. more ›

We know, we know: it's a little early to be talking about booze. But hey, according to a press release from the Dirty Martini, some of you people are probably already drunk! The Connecticut Avenue restaurant has launched a new, 48-ounce cocktail, in order to satiate Washington's "intrepid cocktail lovers" who "need big leisure time." more ›

If you're of the persuasion that, despite all sound reason to the contrary, it's perfectly dandy for the parents of the District to drag their children like so many weathered messenger bags up to the bars of the District, well, this is America, and there's nothing anyone can really do about it. But as a city -- nay, as a culture -- we owe it to ourselves to draw the line somewhere. And that line, friends, is demarcated with the syrupy stain of children's "mocktails." more ›

In quick form, a proposed three percent tax increase on Maryland alcohol sales moved passed the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee Thursday, making way for its consideration in the full Senate. Senate Bill 994 would bring the current six percent tax on alcohol up to nine percent over the next three years. Though it is uncertain as of yet where the estimated $90 million of extra revenues will be put to use, proponents of the bill suggest the funds will be could be used for transportation projects or health programs. Ironically, when it comes to alcohol, things seem to move more quickly. Now if only a few other bills could pick up the pace. more ›

Feel like leaving your disappointment with the Maryland House's failure to extend marriage equality to same-sex couples at the bottom of a pint glass? Well, one Maryland Senator thinks you should be paying more to do so -- the state's Senate will consider a bill which would increase the existing tax on alcohol sales over the next few years. Senate Bill 994 would up the current six percent tax by one percent every year until it hits nine percent in fiscal year 2014. more ›

Yesterday, the Virginia House of Delegates passed bill SB1292, which will allow for corkage in the state's restaurants. Corkage allows restaurant patrons to bring their own bottles of wine to a restaurant -- a choice best reserved for bringing that bottle you've been saving for a special occasion, or for connoisseurs who find their destination's wine offerings lacking. more ›

About four months after Ali Ahmed Mohammed died outside its doors, DC9 will be returning to regular hours -- opening every night of the week, beginning tonight at 5 p.m. A return to daily operations was made possible when the city's Alcoholic Beverage Control Board ruled to lift all restrictions on the bar this afternoon, specifically the requirement that club ownership pay for a reimbursable police detail whenever they were open. more ›

Well, there might not have been a knock-down, drag-out battle over the future of United Medical Center, but that doesn't mean today's gathering of the D.C. Council wasn't entertaining. One big subject of discussion at the Wilson Building this morning? Emergency legislation that will allow bars and restaurants in the District to remain open until 4 a.m. on March 13 in order to make up for the hour of service they lose due to Daylight Savings. more ›

There should be no surprise that on any given weekend, D.C. police and Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration inspectors confiscate run into several fake ID cards -- especially in certain sections of the city. According to an examiner.com story, ABRA and D.C. police officers found 20 fake cards last Thursday night at Third Edition. The story also notes that most of the cards were taken from students mostly from Georgetown and George Washington universities. more ›

New year, new hearings in the DC9/Ali Ahmed Mohammed saga: TBD's Sommer Mathis and City Paper's Rend Smith were back tweeting about a hearing in front of the city's Alcoholic Beverage Control Board regarding the club's future this afternoon. According to both scribes, the Board voted to allow the club to rehire the five employees who were initially charged in the death of Ali Ahmed Mohammed in October. The club will, however, have to continue to maintain a security detail after midnight every night it is open, though that restriction will be revisited at another meeting in February. more ›

Today, Sticky Rice agreed to a settlement with the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Control Board which will allow the restaurant to again serve alcohol this Friday, January 7. more ›

Are you ready for Georgetown to become "a party scene late at night with the streets overrun with cars, parking problems and people roaming around"? Me too! Wait....what? more ›

Things in Prince George's County just keep getting crazier and crazier. Word from various sources is that federal authorities are alleging that several County police officers were planning on illegally distributing cigarettes and alcohol in Maryland and Virginia, while a second indictment accuses other officers of planning to distribute cocaine. Not only that, but both those charges appear to be separate from the high-profile Jack Johnson case. more ›

Maryland's liquor laws are fairly draconian -- so much so, that in this 2009 post about a potential reform which would allow people to ship wine into the Old Line State, I dubbed the state's booze rules as "featuring a rigidity rivaled only by...the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." But it looks like one of the state's largest and most influential counties might be loosening up a bit. The Examiner reports that residents of Montgomery County will now be able to shop at county-operated liquor stores on Sundays, thanks to an executive order signed by County Executive Ike Leggett. more ›

The Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration recently released its 2011 schedule of holiday hour extensions for establishments in the District of Columbia (see below for the PDF). It's pretty standard stuff. The law which passed in 2009 allowing bars and restaurants to serve alcoholic beverages for an extra hour on the days before all D.C. and federal holidays is still in place, so you'll still be able to drink longer in celebration of Emancipation Day or Washington's Birthday. more ›

Some not-so-surprising news: NBCWashington.com is reporting this afternoon that DC9 has had its liquor license suspended. The bar will now need to state its case for reinstatement in front of the District's Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration -- no date has been set for that hearing as of yet. The club had already moved or canceled all of the events scheduled at the club through the first of November. In related news: a candlelight vigil, organized by friends of Ali Ahmed Mohammed, has been planned for this evening at the corner of 9th and U Streets NW. The vigil will take place at 6 p.m. more ›

Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell (R) is considering implementing a new tax on alcoholic beverages served in bars and restaurants. Sources in Richmond tell the Washington Post the plan is evolving as a way to make up for lost revenue as a consequence of privatizing the state's liquor stores. Part of McDonnell's campaign platform was the privatization of the state-run ABC stores, which generate nearly $250 million in profits and taxes for the commonwealth. more ›

A Bloomingdale blog has republished emails exchanged between ANC Commissioner Gigi Ransom, Big Bear Cafe owner Stu Davenport and blogger Tom Bridge which really give some insight into what kind of mess can result when a small business in D.C. wants to expand in the face of community opposition. more ›