HARRISBURG, Pa. – Governor Tom Wolf applauded the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board for “freeing the six-pack” in gas stations and convenience stores by approving nine applications permitting businesses with appropriate protections to sell up to 192 ounces of malt or brewed beverages.
“’Freeing the six-pack’ will make the commonwealth more inviting for customers and businesses,” said Wolf. “I applaud the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) for approving these applications and respectfully ask that they approve similar subsequent applications that otherwise meet PLCB standards in order to improve customer service and convenience for Pennsylvania.”
Currently, the Pennsylvania Liquor Code requires that the PLCB “shall refuse any application for a new license [or] the transfer of any license to a location where the sale of liquid fuels or oil is conducted.” The governor notes that a recent Commonwealth Court ruling affirmed PLCB’s interpretation of this provision to permit the sale of malt and brewed beverages on the same property as liquid fuels, as long as points of sale are appropriately separated (i.e., separate registers).
“The Court’s ruling in Water Street Beverage, Ltd. v. PLCB affirmed PLCB’s decision to approve a license for Weis Café, when Weis had gas pumps on the same property as the proposed Café. The Court’s decision sets [an] important precedent that both clarifies this provision of the Liquor Code and allows for the sale of malt or brewed beverages at gas stations and other businesses under appropriate circumstances,” the governor wrote.
“Allowing malt or brewed beverages to be sold at gas stations under appropriate circumstances is an important step toward our shared goal of ‘freeing the six-pack’ and increasing convenience and improving customer satisfaction for all Pennsylvanians,” Wolf wrote.
The York Daily Record reports that one of the applications approved by the PLCB is a Sheetz location in Huntingdon County. "Our hope is that Governor Wolf's letter will favorably advance our application for beer sales at our Huntingdon location and additional locations in the future," noted a statement from Sheetz.