Keg King Busted by Bay State

The fiery pink trucks that stalked the night bringing barrels of bacchic revelry to the college communities are no more.

On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverage Consumption Commission (ABCC) charged Keg operating out of Roxbury Liquors, Inc., with two violations.

In a public hearing on Tuesday, ABCC officials accused the liquor company of purchasing alcohol from a company not on their list of authorized retailers.

In addition, the officials charged Roxbury with transporting the unauthorized booze to the Boston and Cambridge areas.

ABCC will have 30 days to decide whether to issue a temporary suspension, a mandatory fine or a revocation of the company's liquor license.

Roxbury Liquors, which is presently bankrupt, has officially shut down the Keg King subsidiary due to financial problems and community objections.

"The parties were driving the neighborhood bonkers, and there were complaints from all over the community," said Edward J. Burke, assistant director of the Boston mayor's Office of Neighborhood services. "They were related to the keg deliveries and traced back to Keg King."

The violations came to light after ABCC investigated a series of resident complaints, liquor licensing board actions and neighborhood comments in the local media.

Tuesday's hearing also included testimony from community members who complained that Keg King had been the major cause of an increase of unruly parties on campuses around Boston and Cambridge.

Keg King allegedly delivered beer to unauthorized areas of the tow cities, according to Burke. In addition, the administrators complained that Keg King supplied huge amounts alcohol to relatively small campus parties.

Roxbury Liquor's owner, Patrick Doyle, is in the hospital recuperating from a heart attack and could not be contacted. Other management officials were not available for comment.

Owners of Blanchards, Inc., a Brighton-based liquor company, saw the closing of keg King as a chance to start a delivery service themselves.

"Keg King had a very bad reputation," said Joseph Hession, the company's assistant manager. "They had a financial problem and a problem getting along with the people in the community."

Hession said Blanchards will not deliver to any college campuses other than Harvard and MIT, which the feels have fewer problems with alcohol-soaked parties.

"There's a different crowd at Harvard and MIT," he said.