Alcohol
A $95,000 Fine for Transporting a 6-Pack of Beer Defies the Eighth Amendment, a Supreme Court Brief Argues
The history of the Excessive Fines Clause shows why Alaska pilot Ken Jouppi should not lose his airplane simply because he helped a passenger defy a local alcohol ban.
Can the Feds Ban You From Making Liquor in Your Own Home?
A challenge to the federal prohibition on home distilling could give the Supreme Court a chance to rein in Congress’ Commerce Clause power.
A Biological Need To Steal?
Plus: Trump threatens Oman, the cost of Medicare for All, and booze laws in Britain and Boston.
Supreme Court Will Consider Excessive Fines Clause Asset Forfeiture Case
It will review Alaska's confiscation of a $95,000 plane arising from the pilot's illegal transportation of up to 72 cans of beer.
Washington and His Men Knew How To Party
America was founded by drinkers, distillers, and maltmen whose consumption would be labeled problematic by today's public health authorities.
Buying Beer Is Both Legal and Illegal on Sunday Nights in Minnesota
An unplanned encounter with a silly, arbitrary (and improving) liquor law
Boston Is Temporarily Legalizing Outdoor Drinking for the World Cup. Why Not Make It Permanent?
If Boston can trust adults to “sip and stroll” during the World Cup, it can trust them all year round.
Review: George Washington's Apple Brandy
A replica of Washington's apple brandy is available for purchase at his Mount Vernon estate.
Iowa Man Seen in Viral Body Camera Footage Wins $105,000 Wrongful Arrest Lawsuit
After nearly four years of legal battles, Tayvin Galanakis has finally won his case against the officers who arrested him for allegedly driving while intoxicated without probable cause.
High Liquor Taxes and a Home Distillation Ban Guarantee a Thriving Booze Black Market
The courts have an opportunity to legalize small-scale distillation, but taxes remain a problem.
A Circuit Split Gives SCOTUS an Opportunity To Overturn a Federal Law That Makes Home Distilling a Felony
The 6th Circuit upheld that 158-year-old law, while the 5th Circuit concluded it could not be justified as a revenue measure.
Zyn Pouches Are Safer Than Cigarettes. Why Are Some Politicians Targeting Them?
Making less harmful products harder to get pushes people toward more dangerous ones.
Sixth Circuit Upholds Federal Law Banning Home Alcohol Distilleries, Creating a Circuit Split
The decision is at odds with a recent ruling by the Fifth Circuit.
Fifth Circuit Strikes Down Federal Law Banning Home Alcohol Distilleries
The ruling holds the law exceeds Congress' authority under the tax power and the Necessary and Proper Clause. But it does not consider the Commerce Clause.
Infographic: Who Really Pays for Tariffs? These Scholars Tracked a Bottle of Wine To Find Out.
Consider it a boozy, tariff-themed version of "I, Pencil."
This Cancer Researcher Home-Brewed a Beer That Works as a Vaccine
And he's publishing the process so you can do it too.
Katie Herzog on Alcohol, Sobriety, and Aging
"I am coming to terms with aging and not being cool and fun anymore. That's the price I'm willing to pay," the author of Drink Your Way Sober tells Reason's Nick Gillespie.
The Supreme Court Is Poised To Remind States That the Constitution Doesn't Stop at the Liquor Store
Lower courts keep inventing loopholes to uphold discriminatory booze regulations.
Trump's Tariff War Is Crushing American Alcohol Makers
A Canadian boycott and retaliatory trade barriers have wiped out U.S. wine and spirits sales abroad, costing American producers jobs, revenue, and entire export markets.
New Federal Guidelines for Booze Got It Right
Instead of trying to tell people how much to drink, the new dietary guidelines take a better, more nuanced approach: "consume less alcohol for better health."
Poland's Beer and Food Tell the Story of the Country's Extraordinary Rise From Communism
Not even 35 years after escaping Soviet-style central planning, Poland has become a capitalist success story.
The 2025 Libertarian Gift Guide: 28 Great Ideas for Apocalypse Preppers, Boozers, Self-Improvers—and More
Panicked about holiday shopping? Reason staffers and contributors are here to save the day.
The Sindex: Price of Audio Equipment Rises 12 Percent Under Trump Tariffs
The Reason Sindex tracks the price of vice: smoking, drinking, snacking, traveling, and more.
There's More Than One Way To Get Sober
Author Katie Herzog examines new approaches to treating addiction, the cultural obsession with moralizing sobriety, and why she believes freedom means choosing how to heal.
Tennessee Alcohol Wholesalers Are Grabbing Control of the State's Hemp Market
A new law hands hemp distribution to the same powerful middlemen who dominate liquor sales and block out-of-state suppliers.
Tariffs Are Starting To Crush America's Small Liquor Businesses
Trump’s trade war is hitting wineries, distillers, and distributors with product shortages and soaring costs—leaving customers to pick up the tab.
Alcohol Escapes a Government Crackdown—for Now
A quiet push to declare “no safe level” of drinking has officially fizzled.
Fact Check: Did Trump and RFK Jr. Hide the Link Between Alcohol and Cancer?
No. Federal dietary guidelines have made that connection since the 1980s, but some anti-alcohol activists are mad they didn't get to rewrite the rules this year.
Georgia: The Possible Birthplace of Wine and Definite Birthplace of Stalin
If geography really is destiny, then the Georgian situation has understandably necessitated a stiff, perpetual drink.
Trump's New Trade 'Deal' With the E.U. Leaves Out Beer, Wine, Booze
The deal locks in the 15 percent tariffs that Trump has imposed on most European goods imported into the U.S., including beers and other booze that isn't made here.
What If Fewer Americans Drinking Is a Bad Thing?
Moderate drinking might be bad for you. But it's also pretty fun.
How Protectionist Wine and Liquor Laws Violate the Constitution
The Commerce Clause protects free trade between the states.
Pennsylvania's Liquor Monopoly Is Imposing a New Fee That Will Cost $15 Million Per Year
The new warehousing fee targets booze producers, but drinkers could end up paying most of the tab.
Tom Lehrer Satirized the National Security State From the Inside
The Cold War comedian and rumored Jell-O shot inventor had a lesser known side as an NSA operative.
Michigan Wineries Win $50 Million in Fight Against Local Zoning Rules
A federal judge ruled that Peninsula Township’s former restrictions on music, events, and grape sourcing violated the rights of local wineries.
New Hampshire's New Booze Law Will Hamstring the State's Brewpubs
Despite passing two bills to reduce barriers to enjoying a drink, the Granite State is making it harder for brewpubs to grow.
Americans Don't Party Enough. Here's How To Change That.
In our increasingly antisocial world, the best way to bring people together is a good party. This weekend, if possible.
Cincinnati's Beer-Loving Germans Endured Anti-Immigrant and Anti-Alcohol Resistance
The city's German immigrant experience suggests that immediate assimilation isn't necessary to eventual assimilation.
America Has Plenty of Experience With Government-Run Stores, and It Isn't Pretty
New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani wants to open city-owned grocery stores. The U.S. already has a few, and they're a cautionary tale.
Some Federal Agencies Are Actually Getting More Efficient
Downsizing pushed the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to adopt tech solutions that it could have tried years ago.
