Alcoholic Beverages

Carol Stoudt never liked beer. Didn't like the carbonation. Never drank it. Which makes it hard to imagine her as the owner of a brewery - up to her hips in hops, worrying about malt and flavorings and, yes, fretting over the amount of carbonation. But today Stoudt not only owns Stoudt's Brewery, the only microbrewery in the state, she's also the brewmaster, one of only two women in the country holding such a position. "I started to like the natural beers when we were in Germany," said Stoudt, 41, who with her husband, Ed, began exploring the couple's German heritage about a dozen years ago. "The imports here are pasteurized and have chemicals added for stabilization.

If love beads and tie-dyes mean anything to you, then Cooper River Park in Pennsauken is the place to be Sept. 22, for the fifth annual WYSP Be-In. The happening, traditionally held in Fairmount Park, moves across the river this year. Helping to re-create the outdoor concerts of the '60s era are The Band and Spirit, playing such classics as "The Weight," "Up on Cripple Creek," "The Shape I'm In" and "I've Got a Line on You. " Billed as a multi-generational event, the festival will also feature a variety of street performers and food for sale.

Final approval of an agreement that would limit - and eventually ban - the sale of alcoholic beverages in the food courts at Franklin Mills mall has been held up briefly because of a question about when the overall ban would take effect. The final draft of the agreement prohibits the mall from expanding from the current three the number of restaurants that would be allowed to serve alcoholic beverages. It also would prevent all serving of alcohol after Nov. 1, 1999. That is the expiration date of a lease held by Captain Seafood, the last of three food-court restaurants granted permission to sell beer by Western Development Inc., the mall's developer.

As harmful as drug addiction is in America today, the problem of alcoholism is in many ways far worse. Illicit drugs have led people to commit numerous crimes. They have corrupted people from nearly every walk of life. Drugs such as heroin, cocaine, crack and hallucinogens have caused death and destruction in untold numbers. The nation's jails are crowded with men and women who have abused narcotics. Still, alcohol remains the No. 1 enslaver in America. Alcohol has probably caused more pain and suffering, more divorce, destruction and death than all other drugs combined.

Most adults understand the concept of responsible drinking, at least until they have a few drinks. Helping people be responsible for their alcohol use is at least, in part, the responsibility of the host. More simply, "don't be a pour host," said David Grayson, who helped put together guidelines for responsible hosting during a brainstorming session for the Automobile Club of Southern California. "We took into account human physiology and other elements of a drinking environment," said Grayson, but in the end the guidelines were the result of some "very, very subjective criteria.

In recent years, many pro sports franchises have tried to curb fan rowdiness in ways ranging from selling beer in smaller cups to selling non- alcoholic beer. Only three franchises, however, ban the selling of alcohol at the stadium. The Dallas Cowboys and the Phoenix Cardinals of the NFL and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL sell no alcoholic beverages during games. In each case, local law, rather than management edict, dictates the bans. At Cowboys' games at Texas Stadium in Irving, however, fans are allowed to bring their own alcohol.

The do-gooders have finally pushed through a law that will require danger warnings on all booze labels. But they're not happy. They say that the warnings aren't elaborate enough and the print can be hard to read. Under the new law, the warning will say: "1. According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. 2. Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery and may cause health problems.

The Fairmount Park Commission has approved a request by the Friends of Pennypack Park that could lead to a ban on alcohol in the park. The next step, said Barry Bessler, assistant to the executive director of the commission, is to post the proposed change in a public place for 60 days. If no one makes a request for a hearing opposing the change, he said, the proposal would become an amendment to the Fairmount Park regulations. Then, the city would be notified of the change, he said.

Should a casino deny more credit to a compulsive gambler, as a bar might deny more drinks to an alcoholic? Sheldon Karabell, a Huntingdon Valley physician who says he is a compulsive gambler, has sued two Atlantic City casinos, claiming they were wrong to lure him with free helicopter and limo transportation, exclusive theater seats, free hotel rooms with fully stocked bars and all the credit he couldn't handle. One particularly unlucky day last August, Karabell borrowed $50,000 and lost it in just 80 minutes at Caesars-Atlantic City Hotel-Casino.

A controversy may be brewing over a recent application by Allegro Pizza for a license to serve beer on its premises at Franklin Mills mall, Knights and Woodhaven Roads. Donna Pinkham, a spokeswoman for the state Liquor Control Board (LCB), said the agency has received an application under the name Allegro Pizza of Franklin Mills, but that the license has not yet been granted. She verified that a written protest to the application has been received from the City of Philadelphia.