Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board issued a legal advisory allowing beer and malt beverage distributors to sell malt or brewed beverages to the public in two configurations: “case” quantities or “original containers containing at least 128 fluid ounces.”

The PLCB issued the advisory after a brewery and two beer distributors requested an advisory, and a board website states, ” According to the Liquor Code, the Board or its Chief Counsel must issue advisory opinions upon request.”

At the same time, the PLCB said the 12- or 18-pack configurations must have been packaged as such by the manufacturer.

On Wednesday, March 18, the PLCB reversed that part of the advisory, allowing distributors to separate 12 packs from cases, as long as they were packaged that way.

Jay Anderson, owner of Mangione Beverage, said he had the new advisory from the PLCB explaining the change, and his computer system was already set up to handle 12 and 18 packs. On Wednesday afternoon, he said, “We already started (selling twelve packs) today. It offers convenience to our customers, we’re set up and we’re good to go.”

The business has been selling the 18 packs for quite a while, he said.

He explained that beer that comes in 24 containers and is not pre-packaged as 12packs must be sold in case units.

Sheffield Beer and Ice will be selling 12 packs as well, owner Michelle Blum said. “It’s a good thing. I just received my letter from the LCB ten minutes ago,” she said on Wednesday. “We can break cases, we’ll be selling twelve packs in Sheffield. I’m trying to work through the details.”

Blum said she was in the process of setting things up, although she didn’t have the pricing yet from her suppliers for when they begin shipping 12 packs. She said, in the meantime she would break “suitcases,” the cases that contain two 12 packs.

Her customers haven’t been asking for the smaller packages yet, but she expects that will change, especially when the campers start coming through town later in the year.