Panthers fans may be able to start their tailgating in earnest a little sooner this season, or at least they might not have to stock up the night before.
Via the Charlotte Observer, North Carolina is considering amending their current blue laws which don’t allow alcohol sales until noon on Sundays. Nicknamed the “brunch bill” (Hey, it’s better than their bathroom bills), the new proposal would allow sales to begin at 10 a.m., and would cover both bars and restaurants as well as retailers and local breweries.
With the Panthers tapering off last year and facing a lot more 1 p.m. kickoffs this season, that’s a potentially big deal for places like the Unknown Brewery, which sits a few blocks from Bank of America Stadium and opens its parking lot for tailgaters, even though they couldn’t sell their product until an hour before kickoff.
“That’s a couple hours where they’re drinking Bud Light and Coors Light instead of Unknown,” brewery marketing director Scotty Kent said. “This bill being passed is awesome for us.”
It will also help those who forgot to buy their beer the night before, though it will be interesting to see if it cuts into the number of expensive officially licensed beers the Panthers are able to sell inside the stadium.