a sallow taste of u.s. alcohol laws -- now also in baden-württemberg

as earlier detailed in an august 2008 post it is quite frustrating to enjoy innocent consumption of beer and wine in the united states.

keywords: id-ing yourself at points of purchase until crow's feet have covered your face in its entirety, telling brown paper bags, no spontaneous summer parties in the park with a "kühles Blondes" [a chilled blond], no plum wine from the chinese without passport.

nostalgia of the pursuit of beer, wine, and liquor wells up every time i feel like a criminal when paying for an alcoholic gift. but alas, with shock i saw that one german state, to name the culprit Baden-Württemberg, introduced a law restricting this fundamental german freedom.

between 10pm and 5pm no alcohol is sold at gas stations, kiosks, and in supermarkets there anymore as of march 1, 2010. it reminds me of the first time i tried to buy wine in a supermarket in athens, ohio. alas, it was sunday and up until noon no fermented liquids in your shopping cart; come back after 12pm.

whereas the timing in the morning hours on the seventh day supposedly stem from a fuzzy god-abiding duty, the law in germany is supposed to prevent binge drinking by teenagers. it would be interesting to see studies on the effectiveness of both.

restaurants at night in the southern german state can keep pouring, however, and they might see some more business.