Anticipating possible losses of over $38,000 in the next year, Dixie Liquor is looking for exemptions to the Georgetown area’s single-beer ban. Jody Kurash, one of the store’s owners, went to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission for District 2E’s monthly meeting Monday night and asked that these exceptions be made.

The ban, which was put into effect in October, outlaws the sale of individual beers, malt liquors and ales and currently affects all of the ANC wards in the District, except for Ward 3, where American University is located.

ANC Commissioner Aaron Golds (COL ’11) explained that Dixie requested the commission grant exceptions to the ban for specialty beers and small liquor bottles.

“Dixie Liquors serves some specialty imported or microbrew beers that are sold in bottles approximately the size of a wine bottle. Dixie has some loyal patrons who buy these beers, and they would like to continue selling them,” Golds said. “They also sell some smaller bottles of fine liquor (cognacs, etc.) that are frequently bought by hotel guests who wish to drink, but not to buy large quantities.”

According to Commissioner Bill Starrels, the ANC initially passed the ban in an effort to decrease the number of public drunkenness and related offenses, such as public urination and littering in D.C. After the measure proved to be effective in the H Street area, the ANC2E expanded it to the Georgetown area.

“The single serve ban was designed to limit littering, the presence of drunk homeless people and instances of drunkenness in public,” Golds said. “The ANC has concerns over the use of these products (particularly the hard liquor) by homeless people and the proximity of the store to Francis Scott Key Park, which attracts a large number of homeless.”

Starrels said that problems related to drunkenness were not as much of a problem in the Georgetown area as in other parts of D.C., but that the ban was a precautionary measure.

“We haven’t had a huge problem here in Georgetown in recent times,” he said.

At Monday’s meeting, Starrels suggested that he would consider lifting the ban on more expensive beers, but that small liquor bottles, which Dixie argued its customers used for cooking, should remain unavailable.

“I personally buy larger quantities [for cooking],” Starrels said.

Starrels and Golds said they would wait to talk to other community members and businesses and to hear back from Dixie’s before making any final decisions.

The ANC2E will vote on Dixie’s requested exemption at its next meeting on March 2.

Jody Kurash could not be reached for comment.

* THE HOYA originally printed that Dixie Liquor had lost $38,000 in the past year as a result of the single-beer ban and is interesting in raising profits through exemptions to the ban. This was incorrect. In fact, Dixie Liquor is anticipating possible losses of $38,000 in the upcoming year as a result of the ban, based on figures from 2008. THE HOYA apologizes for the innaccuracy.

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