1910 Pennsylvania is the 2nd largest manufacturer of beer in the U.S., producing 7.7 million barrels of beer.
   
1920 Prohibition becomes the law of the land.
   
1933 Prohibition is repealed and beer is back! Pennsylvania creates the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB).
   
1936 The Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania is founded by H.L. Rockefeller and A. Rosenblum of Sunbury, Henry Voelcker of Danville, James J. O’Brien of Shamokin, and Ralph E. Michener of Harrisburg.
   
1957 The Fuhrman & Schmidt Brewing Co. of Shamokin, PA pays its employees in silver dollars to impress upon the public the importance of a local payroll to the community.
   
1969-1979 The Pennsylvania legislature rejects 4 bills that are attempts by supermarkets to allow them to sell beer.
   
1984 The Reagan administration, spurred by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), orders states to raise their drinking age to 21 or lose 10% of their federal highway funds.
   
1992 The U.S. beer industry produces and sells 2.62 billion cases of beer.
   
1996 PA beer distributors are allowed to accept credit cards.
   
2004 Sheetz Convenience Store/Gas Station applies for a license to sell beer at its newest Altoona location. MBDA challenges the license application and files Petition to Intervene.
   
2005

Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board approves Sheetz’ license on August 19th. MBDA files an appeal to Commonwealth Court.

PA beer distributors are allowed to open on Sundays from 12 – 5 p.m.
   
2007

In early February, Sheetz begins selling beer (next to the iced tea and milk in the cooler).

Commonwealth Court agrees with MBDA by Order issued February 23rd that Sheetz is not entitled to a license to sell beer. PLCB and Sheetz appeal to PA Supreme Court. In September Sheetz resumes selling beer pending Supreme Court decision.
   
2008 In January, Sheetz was cited for an underage beer sale. A 19 yr. old woman working for state police was served beer at the Sheetz Altoona store. A citation for the underage sale was filed against Ohio Springs, Inc., the Sheetz-related company that holds the beer license for the business.

MBDA appeals PLCB’s decision to give beer licenses to 6 Wegmans supermarkets. Noting that state law prohibits the sale of beer at supermarkets, MBDA appeals to Commonwealth Court to overturn a recent decision to award the transfer of six liquor licenses to Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. The transferred licenses would enable Wegmans to sell beer at their stores in Williamsport, Wilkes-Barre, Scranton, State College, Bethlehem and Lower Nazareth. The PLCB issued its decisions on March 19th.
   
2009 The Warrington Township (Bucks County) Supervisors reject Wegmans liquor license application. After almost two hours of debate from township residents and officials the Board voted 4 to 1 to reject the market’s application. Wegmans had hoped to transfer a liquor license from a Pizza Hut in Richboro to its Warrington store. Board members’ concerns ranged from fears over open containers in grocery aisles, to increased access to alcohol for minors, to the safety of the market’s already crowded parking lot. Despite community opposition Wegmans obtains another liquor license already located within the township, not needing Board of Supervisors’ approval, and proceeds with its license transfer. MBDA files Petition to Intervene.

On June 15th the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, in a 5 -1 opinion, holds that the Sheetz Altoona location is not entitled to a license to sell beer. This decision upholds the Commonwealth Court decision issued in February, 2007. Sheetz, in the hearing on its license before the PLCB, had made clear that it would not sell beer for on-premises consumption but only for take-out. Commonwealth Court and now the Supreme Court have both held that take-out only policy is illegal under the Liquor Code.

Sheetz Up Date: In August, as a result of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision in the Sheetz litigation the convenience store/gas station was forced to surrender its license to sell beer. Despite that decision the chain believes it is entitled to a license for its Altoona location and has re-applied for a license to sell beer. MBDA has filed a Petition to Intervene in the license application and a hearing will be scheduled by the PLCB.

By Orders issued September 29th the Pennsylvania Supreme Court agrees to hear the appeals filed by MBDA from the Commonwealth Court decision issued February 23rd allowing the Wegmans stores to keep their licenses to sell beer.