Thoughts (or a quasi-rant) on California Drinking Laws and a bit of anger at BC’s reluctance to evolve
A few weeks ago I had the chance to head to California for work (as much as I wish running this branch was my paid job, I do have an actual career.) After I was done, I got the chance to spend a few extra days in Los Angeles and visit some sights. I got to go to a Dodgers game, checked out Venice Beach, and I got to drink quite a bit of local beer. One of my most interesting beer drinking experiences on this trip happened in an unexpected fashion.
As my wife and I were walking through Downtown LA (which was remarkably quiet, to our surprise) we stumbled upon Grand Central Market. As we walked up to the entrance one of the first things we noticed was Golden Road Brewing. Golden Road has an actual brewery in Atwater, California but they recently decided to open a tasting room in the downtown market just a few months ago. We sat down at the bar and had a drink. I was surprised when my wife turned to me and said “let’s take these beers and walk around.” Years of being conditioned to restrictive laws in British Columbia made me uneasy at her suggestion. I asked if she thought we would be allowed and she pointed to a sign that said “Feel free to enjoy our beers throughout the market.” I was happily shocked, and glad I could check out the rest of the place. My joy quickly turned to sadness as I thought about how this is something that could never ever happen in BC. I ran back to Golden Road and quickly asked to speak to the GM to get his thoughts on it (recording our conversation so I could refer back to it in a yet unwritten article.) I met Anthony Pecos, the GM who explained, “The market has been here since the 20s. It is always going through changes. But some people have been coming for 20-plus years and I will see them here when we open at 10 am over at the bar (further down the market) drinking a Budweiser.” That’s right, drinking in the market has been allowed for decades! It isn’t just Golden Road either “This is how the market has been since it’s opened. You can buy a beer and walk around. It’s a bit of a weird concept for some people, but its not a shocking thing for people here. We encourage people to go and try the food in the market. Buy a perogy and have a beer! Go to the wine shop, have a glass of wine, bring it back.”
What amazed me most about this whole thing was that no one 
seemed bothered by it. When placed in a situation like that you really see that we are living in a province that is so afraid of alcohol that it is hindering our social progress to a great extent. I looked around this market and I saw older couples enjoying a beer. I looked around this market and I saw people asking the brewery staff what food paired best with their beers so they could go and eat and drink the recommendations. I looked around this market and I saw (gasp) CHILDREN. What’s even more unbelievable is that these children weren’t falling into a life of mistakes and failures by being exposed to the evils of adults drinking an alcoholic beverage in a public setting. (In case you couldn’t tell, the last little bit was drenched in sarcasm!)
In fact, all I saw, was responsible adults obeying the rules, enjoying a drink and moving on with their lives. The market has very clear signage that asks people not to bring open beverages outside of the market, and a security guard to help enforce that. In all honesty, the security guard looked like his job was (thankfully) uneventful.
We are stuck in this prohibition-era mindset in BC and we can’t get out of it. Every liquor reform is one–step forward and two-steps back it would seem and it is getting very tiresome. The government touts drinking in public as a public safety issue, yet we don’t seem to want to stop people from smoking in public! I know some of you reading this article smoke, and I risk offending you, but I am not going to sugar coat it; smoking in public slowly kills the people around you. Certain government officials (you know who they are, we keep re-electing them) and certain activist groups are so concerned with not letting children see alcohol before they are 19, they don’t seem bothered by the fact that you can smoke on virtually every street corner. Let’s take a poll of parents and ask them: “Would you rather your child stand next to a stranger on the street that is drinking a beer or smoking a cigarette?” I think we can all take a guess at what the answer might be. But I digress. I am not here to attack the tobacco industry, but to make a point about public drinking.
The provincial government put forward some bi-law changes that would change the face of how public drinking is perceived by the province and its residents. I wrote a letter to the staffer responsible with collecting public opinion on the matter. However, I am yet to hear from them despite several attempts at contact. This provincial government wants you to think it is trying to make it easier for you to be an adult and enjoy your thriving local beer scene… but they are not. It is more of the same, day in day out.
I know our current BC executive would love to have a time to sit down with Minister Coralee Oakes and have a conversation with her. I am hearing hearsay that these talks are actually going to happen. I certainly hope they do, because every time I visit a hotbed of Craft Beer (like California, Oregon) all I see is them evolving at a rate exponentially faster than us and we are still stuck in this (BC Liberal) stone age.
David Perry
President, CAMRA BC -Vancouver Branch
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