renovation

A growing number of states are moving to allow higher alcohol content in beer, despite concerns from some substance-abuse experts.
Alabama and West Virginia have passed laws increasing the legal alcohol-by-volume cap for beer from 6% to as high as 13.9% this year. Similar efforts are underway in Iowa and Mississippi, two states with very restrictive limits on the sale of high-alcohol beer, said Sean Wilson, former president of Pop the Cap, North Carolina's successful grass-roots effort that raised the state's limit in 2005.

The average alcohol content in beer is 4.65%, and in wine 11.45%, according to a 2002 study by the Alcohol Research Group in Emeryville, Calif.

Twenty states still place some kind of limit on the amount of alcohol in beer, Wilson said.

Paul Gatza, director of the national Brewers Association based in Boulder, Colo., said limiting alcohol content restricts flavors and styles because "you can't put as much malt or other sugars in your beer as you may want to."

Some efforts to change beer laws are led by consumers, Gatza said. In Iowa, for example, the Iowa Brewers Guild and a consumer group called Lift the Limit are working to change the state's law on alcohol content in beer, Guild President David Coy said.

David Rosenbloom, president of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University in N.Y., said the more alcohol, "the faster you get drunk and the longer you stay drunk. ... There's no evidence that people will drink less, or fewer beers."

Chuck Hurley, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said, "Our chief concern is that (higher-alcohol brews) be properly labeled so people understand it takes fewer beers to become intoxicated."

Gatza said consumers of specialty or microbrewed beers, also known as craft beers, "don't drink to get drunk. They drink to appreciate the flavors." Ohio was among the first to raise beer alcohol-content rules when it pushed the allowable alcohol-by-volume to 12% in 2002, Gatza said. Georgia followed in 2004, then North Carolina in 2005 and South Carolina in 2007.

Alabama passed the Gourmet Beer Bill in May, state Rep. Thomas Jackson said. The bill increased the cap from 6% to 13.9%.

West Virginia upped its maximum legal alcohol content for beer in April from 6% to 12%.

Vermont raised the cap to 16% and Montana to 14% last year.

Craft beers, typically stronger, tend to be more expensive. An average case of Budweiser costs $17.76, according to Information Resources, a market research group. Midrange higher-alcohol beers cost $24-$40 per case, Gatza said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/...r_N.htm?csp=15

dang even a lot of wines got less content of alcohol in them then. the 14-16 percent allowed in beer in vermont and montana!

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zippyjuan

Looks like there are some pretty strong beers out there. List: http://www.beertutor.com/beers/index...ighest_alcohol
Samiclaus Bier is the strongest I have ever tried http://nilsbeerblog.blogspot.com/200...laus-bier.html

When I was growing up there was a split in alcohol- some eateries and the grocery stores could only sell beer with up to 3.2% alcohol. Anything stronger needed a special license for resturaunts or could only be found in liquor stores. You could buy the 3.2% at age 18 but had to wait until 21 for anything higher.

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Prngr44

I had some of that Sam Adams Utopia at a tasting once. It was... bizarre.

Even though states like Ohio make the claim that craft beer drinkers don't drink to get drunk some brewer is going to market a Bud Light type of beer with 15% alcohol. (Yeah yeah, I know the BL drinkers won't like it because it actually tastes different than water.)

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attgig

but bud light drinkers won't be able to afford it either. the good beers are damn expensive.

Also, If you're really going for high alki content and don't care about price, why not go straight for the hard liquors? whiskey, etc that are ~40%?

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Markel

A couple of weeks ago I was at a regular Saturday wine tasting and one of the guys brought out a "bottle" of Utopia to show around. I say "bottle" because it looks more like a flask or a genie bottle. They said it sold for $180. Every bottle is serialized. I doubt that many of the bottles ever get opened.

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The Happy Squirrel

gotta imagine taht any beer law, wisconsin cant be far behind

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clutchy

any beer above 8% tastes horrible. I don't know how anyone could stomach it.

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gwilks98

Go try La Fin Du Monde (belgian white). I think that's 10 or 11 and is quite delicious.

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