Growlers are one of our favorite topics here at DCBeer, and we're pleased to report that these 64 ounce jugs for take-away consumption of beer are now legal in DC. Yes, you could get growlers, filled or empty, at DC Brau, Chocolate City Brewing, and 3 Stars Brewing Company, but you couldn't get growlers filled at bars, grocery stores, brewpubs, or liquor stores. Now you can, provided establishments want to take advantage of it. We can think of a few, starting with D'Vines in Columbia Heights. That wine and beer shop sold growlers for a brief period in 2011 before being told to stop by the DC Alcoholic Board Regulation Administration (ABRA). Some Whole Foods stores in the Virginia suburbs allow growler fills, as well. Might the P Street Whole Foods, which already boasts an excellent beer selection, follow suit? Both that and the Tenleytown locations already sell beer and wine for on-premises consumption.
Perhaps most intriguing is that bars can now sell beer to go in growlers. Your move, Churchkey. Sorry, folks.
In addition, the bill legalizes Sunday sales of alcohol, meaning that DC joins Montgomery County, MD and the Commonwealth of Virginia in allowing that practice. But this being DC, such a move would be subject to Advisory Neighborhood Commisioner (ANC) approval, and there is some evidence that not every liquor store owner wants to operate for a full week.
Because this is DC and you are all type-A overachievers who relish legalese, here's a link to the Omnibus Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Act of 2012.
We here at DCBeer would like to thank Thor Cheston, and Councilmembers Jim Graham and Tommy Wells for their hard work on improving the DC beer scene.
