Senate Bill 75 update.

Here's an update on Senate Bill 75, formerly known as the bill to enable Sunday carry-out sales by craft brewers, now (it appears) with Bills 118 & 119 appended to it. Like 75, both of the other bills have passed the Senate. The first removes sales restrictions during polling hours, and the second adjusts Sunday sales hours. Jason from the Hoosier Beer Geek blog has the news: Senate Bill 75 - SUPERSIZED!

Word from our statehouse presence is that the bill gets its 15 minutes of House committee time on Wednesday morning. Exact procedures elude me, but I'll be there. In fact, NABC will attend-and-vend at two legislative receptions on Tuesday night, the first held by the state Chamber of Commerce, and the second for the legislature's African-American caucus. Looks like an overnight stay for the sales gang.

Gather those half-pints of Kessler ...

As the Brewers of Indiana Guild met on the fourth floor of the Statehouse yesterday to testify before the Senate committee on behalf of Sunday carry-out sales at microbreweries and brewpubs, a House committee one floor below was hearing arguments of a different sort.

Bill would permit alcohol sales during elections, by Lesley Stedman Weidenbener (Courier-Journal).

INDIANAPOLIS – Bars and restaurants could sell alcohol while the polls are open on Election Day and stay open later to accommodate Sunday night crowds under bills that a House committee will vote on next week.

Unsurprisingly, I have an opinion on both of these topics.

As for adjusted Sunday opening hours, yes. Why should Sunday be any different than Monday, Wednesday or Friday?

In like fashion, the prohibition of all Sunday alcohol sales on Christmas Day should be ended, too. Both of these standpoints are remnants of “blue laws” that derive from deference to a particular religious standpoint. You can have your swimsuit models, because I fantasize about the day when the ACLU intervenes to strike down these and other anachronisms that violate church-state separation.

The same applies to Election Day sales. I’ve written on this topic numerous times, and defy you to show me how drunken voting can be any more dim-witted than casting ballots while sober. We should be encouraging drinking before voting, not discouraging it.

What are the odds of passage for these measures? I’ve no idea. Yesterday we spoke to eleven state senators, two of whom were as impervious to logic as future steaks chewing their cuds on the farm. Nine others seemed reasonable. As long as some legislators continue to consult their Bibles rather than the Constitution before making up their minds, anything can happen, and probably will.

Downtown events this Sunday (April 26).

Come to think of it, the Bank Street Brewhouse is open Sundays from noon to 8:00 p.m., and the Windsor's doing Sunday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Bank Street today: Cards or Cavs or something.

Remember: Bank Street Brewhouse is open on Sunday. The game will be telecast on the flat screen. Although I'd rather watch the NBA, I suppose we can tolerate the NCAA thing if customers really insist on it.

Downtown on Sunday?

Here's a view of the YMCA at around 2:00 p.m. today.


There also were cars in the parking lot just out of view to the right. While resting for perhaps ten minutes before resuming my ride, perhaps a half-dozen people left the gym and another half-dozen arrived.

Seems like potential customers to me, but almost nothing is open downtown on Sunday.

The Bank Street Brewhouse team discussed this again last week, and once things are up and running, we're going to take a shot at Sunday hours of 12 noon though 7:00 p.m. (or maybe 8:00 p.m.) We're still thinking adult refreshments and a very simple food menu.

This seems to me the ultimate in chicken/egg arguments. Most businesses aren't open because no one's downtown on Sunday, but no one's downtown on Sunday because most businesses aren't open. The Y is open, so this would seem to indicate that people will come downtown on Sunday if there's a reason. Granted, there quite a few children at the Y on weekends, and children aren't a brewery's target demographic. Still, it seems like something worth chancing.