State Police, Bar Owners In Beer Fight

The owners of three upscale tap rooms in Philadelphia are crying foul after state police raided their bars and confiscated thousands of dollars in expensive lagers and ales.

The allegation: the beer wasn't registered with the state liquor control board.

The state police say the beers are not registered properly with the state so they were seized. The bars say not so fast: The beers are registered and sold in lots of other places.

The three bars are run by Brendan Hartranft and his wife, Leigh. They sell a wide selection of beers and great food. But now they're out several thousand dollars in stock after hundreds of bottles and several kegs were seized.

The state police say a citizen’s complaint instigated the raids at Local 44, Resurrection Ale House and the Memphis Tap Room. .

The bar owners are very unhappy about the raids but would not comment on camera.

It could be resolved quickly if the bar owners come up with the beer certifications. Or it could take months to resolve.

The bar owners will have to make their case that the beer was properly registered to get the confiscated beer back, the state police assured Fox 29 they have the beer stored at the right temperature as requested by the bar owners.