Oklahoma liquor laws

[Teo9969]

Try Freeman's on 43rd and Western

[TheTravellers]

Try Freeman's on 43rd and Western

Seconded, they have a massive beer selection, wish I could handle carbs enough to frequent them, but I'd end up dead from diabetes if I tried all the beers they have that I want to try.

[Bill Robertson]

Has anybody noticed recently that a lot of beer brands, especially foreign imports, have disappeared from liquor store shelves? Grocery stores, in typical OKC fashion, mostly only sell the basics. I went to Byron's the other day because I wanted to try something new and was surprised how small their beer selection was.

Are these brands gone from Oklahoma permanently or is it just a temporary adjustment? What liquor stores currently have the best beer selection?

I don’t really know but I would think someone with the volume of Byron’s may stock what they move a lot of and drop what might sell but not in quantity. Smaller places might specialize in variety over volume as long as they can stay afloat that way.

[corwin1968]

Has anybody noticed recently that a lot of beer brands, especially foreign imports, have disappeared from liquor store shelves? Grocery stores, in typical OKC fashion, mostly only sell the basics. I went to Byron's the other day because I wanted to try something new and was surprised how small their beer selection was.

Are these brands gone from Oklahoma permanently or is it just a temporary adjustment? What liquor stores currently have the best beer selection?

I haven't really kept up with the beer market but since the liquor laws changed, Bacchus on N. May (just South of 178th) installed a 33 degree beer cave that seems to have a good selection of imported beers and craft/micro-brewery beers. They generally have a wide variety from Samuel Smith Brewery and all four varieties from Chimay. There are a lot that I haven't paid close attention to but seem to be European in origin. I know for sure they carry Lindeman's lambics.

The only other liquor stores I've been in since the laws changed had only a fraction of the selection that Bacchus has. I'm very happy that it's close by and I've enjoyed trying new beers. So far, my tastes have run more toward English Ales.

[Johnb911]

I love Freemans. Wish they had more refrigerators. Used to frequent the Cellar, or Grand Cru, or whatever they call it nowadays at Britton and May. They have a very good beer selection, including international, but they generally have higher prices as well.

Since I've moved to Edmond I've had the best experiences at Drew's (I35 and 2nd st) and 2nd Street Wine (in the parking lot of Target/Lowes on 2nd St). They have a pretty good selection and knowledgeable staff when it comes to beer. I also tend to look for more local stuff and both of those places stock a lot of that.

[jedicurt]

Has anybody noticed recently that a lot of beer brands, especially foreign imports, have disappeared from liquor store shelves? Grocery stores, in typical OKC fashion, mostly only sell the basics. I went to Byron's the other day because I wanted to try something new and was surprised how small their beer selection was.

Are these brands gone from Oklahoma permanently or is it just a temporary adjustment? What liquor stores currently have the best beer selection?

not to make this political, but Tariffs between the EU and US, and other countries (or the threat of them) has also stopped a lot of orders on foreign imported beers, I was talking with someone who works as a distributor in North Texas, and they were saying that the cost to import some brands right now is just making it cost prohibitive to bring them in, and thus they are seeing a lot more stores ordering domestic craft beers, which that market was already starting to overtake foreign beers in sales anyways... so my assumption would be this is a reason you are seeing some of what you have witnessed.

[ctchandler]

Corwin,
You're right, Bacchus has a great selection. I have enjoyed Asahi (Japanese) and an English beer from there. But shopping there isn't great, I don't last long at 33 degrees.
C. T.
p.s. Ok, I'm a weenie but I hate cold and love summer.

[Jeepnokc]

Used to frequent the Cellar, or Grand Cru, or whatever they call it nowadays at Britton and May. They have a very good beer selection, including international, but they generally have higher prices as well.

They are ridiculous on their prices. Almost to the point that I feel they should be buying me dinner before screwing me. They have a lot of nice high end bourbons and scotches but they are charging secondary market pricing which I refuse to pay. The Well on Memorial has a great beer selection and liquor selection.

[Johnb911]

They are ridiculous on their prices. Almost to the point that I feel they should be buying me dinner before screwing me. They have a lot of nice high end bourbons and scotches but they are charging secondary market pricing which I refuse to pay. The Well on Memorial has a great beer selection and liquor selection.

Used to go to the Well when I worked up near there, but then after changing jobs it just became too out of the way. Always enjoyed having a good conversation with knowledgeable folks when in there, but then it seemed like a lot of their staff turned over. Haven't been in for a few years now.

The pricing thing I won't argue on though it's funny. I've done A LOT of comparisons between there and other places (mainly Freeman's.) A bottle of Red Breast Lustau, for instance, was 20% higher at GC than Freeman's ($70 and $85, if memory serves correctly) and then other stuff they'll be dead on or even a little cheaper (I think they had Tin Cup for $1.50 less). I don't know if that's down to different distributors or different markup philosophy or what. Generally the prices are higher than a lot of other places, but I still like the folks that work there, and they have a vast selection.

[Jeepnokc]

Used to go to the Well when I worked up near there, but then after changing jobs it just became too out of the way. Always enjoyed having a good conversation with knowledgeable folks when in there, but then it seemed like a lot of their staff turned over. Haven't been in for a few years now.

The pricing thing I won't argue on though it's funny. I've done A LOT of comparisons between there and other places (mainly Freeman's.) A bottle of Red Breast Lustau, for instance, was 20% higher at GC than Freeman's ($70 and $85, if memory serves correctly) and then other stuff they'll be dead on or even a little cheaper (I think they had Tin Cup for $1.50 less). I don't know if that's down to different distributors or different markup philosophy or what. Generally the prices are higher than a lot of other places, but I still like the folks that work there, and they have a vast selection.

I see it primarily on hard to find bottles and at both of their stores. The cellar in Norman is owned by his wife.. I have seen some bourbons and scotches marked up 200-500%. (BTAC, Orphan Barrels, etc) If I remember..it was either a George T Stag or a William Larue Weller that was marked up 500% at the Cellar. They are the only liquor stores I know of in the state that marks up to that degree on hard to get bottles. Freemans/Well/Bacchus/University/SpiritShop/Byrons keeps their prices reasonable on hard to find bottles.

[sooner333]

It looks like campus corner may be back to the way it used to be: https://www.normantranscript.com/sta...8a3670f36.html

[Plutonic Panda]

https://www.news9.com/story/40905203...uor-laws-again

[jerrywall]

Hopefully the law stands.

[jerrywall]

Whelp.... Oh well.

[Quicker]

https://www.news9.com/story/40905203...uor-laws-again

''The lawsuit is over a new state law which requires the top 25 alcohol brands to be sold in any liquor store that wants to sell them instead of allowing local distributors to pick and choose where to sell which brands.

The law was an attempt to correct some of the fallout changes made 3 years ago, which forced many small liquor stores to close because they were unable to sell the most popular brands.''

Wow... I don't know how they could have botched this story any worse. The law had nothing to do with what liquor stores can sale... The law was about wholesalers having exclusive control over products and would've allowed other wholesalers to sell the top 25 brands...

[Quicker]

With that in mind, SB 608 which passed by wide margins in the state legislature and would have allowed other wholesalers to sell the top 25 brands and return some competition in the wholesale marketplace was ruled unconstitutional today. An appeal is expected.

[Plutonic Panda]

Thank you for providing more insight on this issue. I was confused with some details.

[Laramie]

Liquor bicker: Senate sends SB 608 to Gov. Kevin Stitt: https://nondoc.com/2019/05/06/liquor...v-kevin-stitt/

[BoulderSooner]

Liquor bicker: Senate sends SB 608 to Gov. Kevin Stitt: https://nondoc.com/2019/05/06/liquor...v-kevin-stitt/

https://oklahoman.com/article/563845...constitutional

[onthestrip]

Hopefully the law stands.

I agree. I want as much competition in the making, wholesaling, and retailing of liquor as there can be. Seems like with the current set up, the wholesaling is concentrated in just two companies.

Also, this was overlooked by nearly all voters. We just wanted more and better access to beers and wine, not necessarily any wholesale changes.

[jonny d]

I agree. I want as much competition in the making, wholesaling, and retailing of liquor as there can be. Seems like with the current set up, the wholesaling is concentrated in just two companies.

Also, this was overlooked by nearly all voters. We just wanted more and better access to beers and wine, not necessarily any wholesale changes.

So maybe voters didn't fully know what we voted for? Our legislators aren't completely stupid and insulting?

[onthestrip]

So maybe voters didn't fully know what we voted for? Our legislators aren't completely stupid and insulting?

In general we did. But the liquor modernization had a lot of moving pieces, some of the seemingly small and obscure but ones that ultimately catered to the big wholesalers giving them more of a monopoly.

[jonny d]

In general we did. But the liquor modernization had a lot of moving pieces, some of the seemingly small and obscure but ones that ultimately catered to the big wholesalers giving them more of a monopoly.

In general is not 100% I didn't hear anything about this when we voted on it. Because the people in favor knew it might cause some hesitance (not enough to kill it, but still).

[jedicurt]

In general we did. But the liquor modernization had a lot of moving pieces, some of the seemingly small and obscure but ones that ultimately catered to the big wholesalers giving them more of a monopoly.

i think it was more that the Wholesalers didn't act on good faith and took to exploiting the loop holes and gaps they found in the new laws, to give them more of a monopoly

[okcpulse]

I disagree wholeheartedly with SB 608. It was discussed many times in the news that the wholesale system will change to a franchise-based system before the 2016 election that passed SQ 792. It was also discussed at great length in many FAQ releases before the new laws went into effect in 2018, and nearly two full years were given so that the industry can prepare for these changes. Not sure why it is now all of the sudden a surprise.

People are quick to forget that the old wholesale system where manufacturers were required to sell to ALL wholesalers without franchise agreements that include quality controls is exactly why the big three domestic breweries pulled their products out of Oklahoma in 1976. In fact, the requirement to sell to all wholesale distributors and on a same price basis is not competition at all. It began with a lawsuit from a distributor in Ardmore against Adolph Coors who declined the distributors order because they already had a distributor in the same territory. The judge ruled that Coors was required to sell to the plaintiff based on Oklahoma's distribution laws. Instead, Coors opted to pull their products out of Oklahoma. Anheuser-Busch and Miller did the same shortly after since each company had quality controls that Oklahoma wholesalers were not required to follow.

Almost EVERY state in the country allows wholesale distributors to franchise with manufacturers, and don't experience issues with monopolies or duopolies or whatever *opolies that were complained about when SB 608 was debated on the floor. Texas distributors franchise... don't see them having any problems. Kansas distributors franchise... heck every neighboring state does it. So why is it Oklahoma is having such a difficult time adjusting? First, some distributors simply don't like the changes... they liked the old system the way it was because there was no need for competition. Second, yes... I agree... two distributors control 80% of the market... for now. Others will gain market share as time goes on. New wholesale distributors have opened in Oklahoma since 2018 and they aren't complaining about loss of sales.