Alcohol and it's legality...

[Birchy]

When did the consumption of alcoholic beverages become regulated and, consequently, gain legality in The UK? And does anybody know of a website that gives a good history of it in this country? With stats if poss. Thanks.

[woofgang]

well actually the consumption is still not regulated. Distillation is, opening hours of places that sell it are, what you can and cannot do while under its influence is to an extent, but actually the consumtion isn't!! sorry to nitpick

[THECORBYLOON]

Sorry to nitpick woofgang but consumption IS regulated as an Off Licence authorises the sale of liquor for consumption off the licensed premises.

[Hippy]

I'm with Woofgang here. You can make your own and consume as much or as little as you see fit without hindrance from the Law.

The "off-licence" is a licence to sell booze that must be consumed in a place other than the emporium selling it. Whilst it is not decorous to do so, there is no prohibition in consuming alcohol in such a place except that it must not be the alcohol purchased there. Buy your tipple at "Booze Benders" and then pop along the road to "Collapso Wines" to guzzle it. You will attract the wrath of the shop people, but I don't think you are breaking the "off-licence" Law.

[Peter Pedant]

No consumption is - you arent allowed to drink it in city centres under various law and bye laws.

We need someone like QM however.....

the first weights and measures regs  - short measures in selling booze - was Anglo- saxon - ie pre 1066

measures to stop adulteration of booze - specifically to stop salt being used to stimulate thirst - eigtheenth century at least.

Gin - drunk for a penny, dead drunk for tuppence - was the first thing to be taxed purely to limit consumption.

 

I hope this is of more help that discussing whether or not you can drink on the street.

[Clare A]

It's illegal for licensed premises to sell alcohol to someone who is drunk. So you can swell their profits all night, and then when the inevitable results they can say 'I'm sorry - you've had too much'. I've actually stood alongside someone at the bar when the barman has served the customer a drink but said he wouldn't get another 'because by then he would be too drunk'. So he wasn't already?

To try to answer Birchy's question (and I rather think this is an essay/thesis one - do your own research, lazy!) I think pretty well anyone could sell alcohol in Victorian England, and that there wasn't a lot of regulation about what went into it, how watered it was, and so on. Because brewing and distillation both require boiling, alcohol was 'safer' than well water. Children and servants were given 'small beer' - a rather weaker brew than the beer preferred by adults with money to spend on it.

On the Isle of Man we've had the Manx Pure Beer Act since the 1800s (I can get the exact date if I really must) - which states that nothing may go into the Island's brews except malt, water, sugar, barley and hops. Prior to the Act, all sorts were going in - 'nux vomica' is one proscribed substance, and its name is enough to make you understand why!

I love beer. Fuller's London Pride is on at the local at the moment, in fine form. Mmmm... Cheers!