My understanding since moving to this state is that you can only by liquor from State run stores.
Beer is sold at privately run Beer stores but they can only sell it by the case.
You can only buy a six pack from a bar.
I think the law here is just plain weird.
If you think that’s weird, try living in a Southern dry county or one with Sunday blue laws.
There are bottle shops in PA where you can get individual bottles or six packs. They are called "licensed beer stores" in the law. I believe they require a full license [might be wrong], so they're often attached to bars, but don't need to be. They are much more common in college towns.
There are also "beer distributors" [not the same as "beverage distributors"] who sell beer both by the case and by six-pack. Beverage distributors may only sell cases or kegs. They may also sell water and non-alcoholic beverages.
Wine and liquor may only be sold by Commonwealth of PA State Stores.
I think the law here is just plain weird.
...this weird law dates back to the thirties, and the end of Prohibition...the governor was Gifford Pinchot, as staunch a prohibitionist as there was...and, his petulance boiling over, he decided that if Pennsylvanians were to buy liquor, well, then, he would make it as difficult as possible to do so...
...I’ve always gotten a kick out of people who decide that using government suasion, in the form of criminalizing personal behaviors, is a peachy keen idea...like Bill O’Reilly and his bloviating against marijuana...and people who claim to be in ardent favor of the smallest government possible, happily hopping on the bandwagon of state sponsored aggression...