Beer bill on tap?

Only in Alabama.- A member of the Florence City Council asked a good question last week. Why doesn't the city have draft beer sales?

The answer: Alabama restricts beer container size to a maximum of 16 ounces. Alabama is the only state that limits beer by volume.

That means restaurants that want to sell beer on tap must ask local officials to ask the Legislature to pass a local bill exempting the city or county from the container size-restriction.

Whew! What a convoluted mess that is.

Councilwoman Angie Pickens raised the question recently and is ready to ask the Legislature to pass an exemption bill. She doesn't have unanimous support, however, though no one on the council has said they would oppose it, either.

Councilmen Scott Carrier, James Barnhart and Leland Howard said they want a debate of the pros and cons of allowing draft beer sales.

They only cons they are likely to hear will be from beer distributors, who dislike dealing in kegs of beer because the profit margin is not as high as it is for bottled and canned beer.

But that shouldn't affect the council's decision. The people of Florence voted 20 years ago to allow beer to be sold legally in the city. Why should it matter whether a glass of beer is poured from a bottle or a tap?

A few national restaurant chains tout the availability of imported and specialty beers on tap. It's part of the appeal they hold for many diners. Some are, no doubt, discouraged from considering Florence because of the state's antiquated beer container restriction.

And speaking of antiquated, here's another example of why Alabama needs a new constitution. Florence is wet. Why does it need the Legislature's permission to regulate beer sales based on container size?

The answer is the overarching central authority written into the 1901 constitution. The Legislature has entirely too much authority over city governments and especially over county governments. It spends too much time during sessions dealing with the comparatively mundane issues of local government instead of addressing the lingering problems of state government, such as school funding, economic development and overcrowded prisons.

But that's an editorial for another day.

We encourage the city council to ask the Legislature to lift the draft beer restriction for Florence. It would be good for business.