In the Last Frontier you can still drink at a bar until 5 a.m. in places like Homer or Haines in accordance with state law, but not in the capital city. "The state has a statute that says when bars have to be closed," said Joe Hamilton, an Alaska State Trooper assigned to the Alcohol Beverage Control board. "Municipalities can tighten those controls."

Statute 04.16.010 clearly states that all licensed alcohol establishments in the state must close their doors to customers between the hours of 5 and 8 a.m. The only people allowed in a bar between those hours are cleaning crews or employees setting up for the next day's business.

"Local governments can tighten those hours of operation," Hamilton said. "In other words, they can say, 'Instead of our bars closing at 5 a.m., we want our bars to close at 3,' and they adopt ordinances for them to do that."

The city of Juneau adopted the tighter regulations 24 years ago, requiring all patrons to be out of a licensed drinking establishment by 1 a.m. weekdays and by 3 a.m. on weekends.

"Juneau is a government town so we usually have a little more enforcement than other places," said Gail Niemi, owner of the Sandbar and an industry representative from Southeast Alaska on the ABC board.

According to the Assembly meeting minutes of July 2, 1984, the majority of people participating in the public hearing spoke against the proposed ordinance. The original proposal would have changed the weekend closing time to 2 a.m., but that was amended to 3 a.m. prior to approval.

Niemi was one of the people that spoke against changing the closing hours, saying Alaska's "alcohol abuse problems will not be solved by closing the bars earlier," according to the meeting notes.

"My husband and I had the bar at the time, and we were very upset over the fact that they had so much control on your business, and they could tell you when you could open and when you could close," she said in a recent interview. "However, after it actually changed it was obvious to you that you really didn't want anybody you had between 3 and 5 anyway. It's much easier on the bars not to be open from 3 to 5."

While all customers in Juneau must be out the door before the clock strikes 1 or 3 a.m., depending on the day, many bars set their clocks 15 minutes fast and usher patrons to the exit well before the legal deadline. Some refer to this as "bar time," which can vary from establishment to establishment. The ambiguity can, at times, lead to tensions when bars close down early.

Jeff Brink, an investigator for the ABC board in Southeast Alaska, said there still can be problems with bar patrons whether the bars close at 1 a.m. or 5 a.m.

"Regardless of what time you have to kick everybody out on the street, it causes problems," he said. "Especially if you're not paying attention who is being over served on a routine basis."

Penalties can be stiff for those who violate the state statutes or city ordinances, Hamilton said. If a patron is caught drinking after the set closing time, he or she can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which is punishable by up to a $10,000 fine and a year in jail, he said. The licensee also would be required to respond to the director of the ABC board within 10 days of the violation to explain what happened and what was being done to avoid a similar situation in the future.

Licensees allowing patrons to break the law also can face stiff penalties.

"If that licensee were to go to court and get convicted or plead no contest, then the Alcohol Beverage Control board is mandated by law to take some type of action against the licensee," Hamilton said. "Normally what would happen is they would go for some type of closure. What that closure would be is up to 30 days or up to 45 days."

The number of violations reported in Juneau is relatively low, Brink said.

"I have gotten one or two in the year I've been in this job, but I haven't gotten any more than that," he said.

Chasing bar time around town

The Hooligan embarked on a clandestine mission during the early morning hours of Saturday, July 19, to explore and document the mayhem that ensues as the echo of "last call" reverberates through the fjord of downtown bars.

Our self-imposed objective for the evening was to see how many different bars we could be in when the lights turned on and everyone was asked to leave. Photographer Dave Sheakley and I wanted to explore the mystery behind Juneau's "bar time" and how it correlates to the city-mandated 3 a.m. closing time.

A brief synopsis of our findings:

1:30ish a.m.: Armed with an automated cell phone clock to monitor the time, Dave meets me at the Alaskan Bar & Hotel, where we discuss our strategy over a couple of Pabst Blue Ribbon beers and rock out to Slow Gun Runner.

2:15 a.m.: We head to the Viking Lounge on Front Street, where a bartender told me earlier in the evening that they would be closing at 3 a.m. He also said "all the bars set their clocks 15 minutes fast," so we figure we've got more than enough time to order a cocktail before last call.

2:29 a.m.: Without hearing the hallowed cry of last call, the lights come on as the bartenders and bouncers begin to bark orders for everyone to leave. The chunky inebriated man with the well-meaning voice singing "The Four Seasons" must have hypnotized me. So much for 15 minutes ahead, the cell phone indicates the clocks are set 31 minutes fast. Gotta go, as rules are rules.

2:33 a.m.: We head down the street thinking we can swing into the Imperial but we get there just in time for the dance floor exodus to begin. Must keep moving toward South Franklin Street.

2:39 a.m.: A raucous crowd has ballooned outside the Alaska Cache Liquor store like the embodiment of an Alan Ginsburg poem. "Line up outside if you wanna get in," yells a store-clerk-turned-body-guard just prior to turning the lights out. Nice execution. Music from the Alaskan is faintly audible over a litany of curse words.

2:43 a.m.: We make it back into the Alaskan just in time to see the lights come on and hear the pained jeers of a dejected crowd. Only 17 minutes left before the looming legal deadline, but there's still hope.

2:50 a.m.: We must have followed the path of El Dorado, as we are able to order a cold-filtered golden-colored beer at the Rendezvous with just enough time left to chug it down. Some how I weasel my way onto the karaoke stage long enough to slaughter Folsom Prison Blues. "Oh, What a Night."

2:55 a.m.: We finally get the boot for good, but only after witnessing four bars and a liquor store close down in 26 minutes. Priceless.

• Eric Morrison can be reached at 523-2269 or eric.morrison@juneauempire.com.