Senior architecture major John Algood said he’s been looking forward to the day he could buy cold beer in Starkville. “Since I’ve been at Mississippi State, I’ve always wondered why it’s not the case.”
That day is at hand; Mississippi State University students can buy their beer cold beginning Sept. 2.
The Starkville Board of Aldermen voted 6-1 at its Aug. 2 meeting to change the ordinance regulating the temperature of beer and light wine with an alcohol content of 5 percent or less sold in Starkville. Ward 3 Alderman P.C. McLaurin cast the dissenting vote.
“I’m still having difficulty coming up with even one positive thing that this would do for the city,” he said at the meeting.
Senior architecture major Chip Jones, whose group on www.thefacebook.com, “I’m So Glad Starkville Finally Sells Cold Beer,” celebrates the change in the ordinance, said preparing beer for drinking will be less of a hassle once the change takes place.
“It’s not going to be a nuisance for you to go get it early and cool it off,” he said.
Algood, a member of Jones’ group, agreed.
“It’ll cut down on the ice you have to buy, save a little money,” he said.
The beer will be fresher and taste better, Jones said. He said many companies deliver beer cold, and when it has time to warm on the shelf and must be cooled again, the taste changes.
One reason behind the change was a 1998 opinion by the Mississippi attorney general stating that cities have no right to regulate the temperature at which alcohol is sold.
The ordinance as it was left the city open to lawsuits, MSU senior and Ward 4 Alderman Richard Corey, who proposed the change, said.
McLaurin said no change was needed. “It has stood the test of time fine as far as a lawsuit hazard is concerned.”
The change would lead to an increase in drunken driving and litter, he said.
“What are you going to do with it when you finish it?” he asked at the meeting.
Jones said he does not believe selling beer cold will increase safety hazards. “It’s not any worse than selling liquor cold, and they’ve been doing that for years in Starkville.”
Rather, selling beer cold will promote less heavy drinking because more people will drink beer instead of liquor, which wa already available cold, he said.
The change in the ordinance will not create more drunken drivers. Instead, he said, “It’s just going to create faster drunk drivers.”
Grisham said he does not support drinking but thinks selling beer cold will increase revenue for the city.
McLaurin said he did not believe a change in the ordinance would increase beer sales.
Corey said Starkville loses revenue to other cities that do sell cold beer.
“I can speak from what I’ve heard, and that is, many, many, many students drive to West Point and Columbus simply to buy cold beer,” he said.
Jones said he has driven to West Point to buy cold beer in the past.
He said he has no plans to celebrate yet, but he said, “I’m sure something will happen.”
Algood said he’s been looking forward to the day he could buy cold beer in Starkville. “Since I’ve been at Mississippi State, I’ve always wondered why it’s not the case.”
He added, “Oxford doesn’t have cold beer.”