Mass. regulators pester Notch about liter beers

Whew, that was close, people almost had fun.

 

If liter mugs of session beer are such a great idea, they should sell them all the time. I'm not going to hate on the ABCC for this, there's plenty else to worry about with them.

 

That's the kind of innovation that makes this country great.

 

With all due respect, "a pint of beer with 10 percent alcohol" is nowhere near "no problem." It may not be illegal, but it is far from a good idea and consequently not available in any of the places I frequent.

 

Yeah, it's a terrible idea because they'd have to price it at about $20 given Boston prices.

Pints of ~10% abv beer are easy to find in places with more reasonable prices.

 

Where would I have to go to find such a place? Just curious. I'm not accustomed to places with more reasonable prices.

 

CO, AZ, even CA have places that don't automatically drop the pour size and bump the price at the hint of the word "imperial." Maybe finding a 10% beer in a pint is hard, but 8-9% is easy. Pliny, for example, is $4.50/pint (before happy hour discount). Similar prices at Bear Republic.

 

I have been fortunate enough to visit both places and I remember the prices being about that. The 10% just stuck in my head and I wasn't considering the 8-9% range. When my wife and I walked out of Bear Republic during Happy Hour we looked at each other and grinned, partly because of the awesome beer, partly because we felt like we had robbed the place.

 

From the article:

The response from the ABCC? "We didn't make the call." But no clarification on any of the three questions that would actually help people understand the law and its enforcement. Even if the answer were "it depends," that would have been more helpful than radio silence.

 

He's not talking about whether it's a good idea or not. He's saying you can get served a pint of 10% brew easily enough, but it isn't easy getting served two pints worth of beer which together will still have less alcohol content than that one 10% pint.

Whether or not that's accurate is debatable. At the bars I frequent, potent beers tend to be served in smaller increments than a full 16 ounces, but I only go to a handful of local bars and they're pretty craftcentric.

 

(Also, I'm guessing this event featured Notch's new Hootenany berliner weisse, which clocks in at a robust 3.3% abv, as I recall. I like it a lot.)

 

If you find a pint-only bar, you can sometimes find the better "deals" on stuff. I know the Scurvy Dog in Providence sells only pints and I remember seeing Devil Dancer in there for $10 for the pint. Sort of dangerous with a pint of 12% beer, but I know plenty of people happy to see it. You can find them but they are few and far between these days.

 

Whole Foods in NYC served pints of BCBS a couple years ago. I split one with my girlfriend.

 

Eh, pints are fine, but Holy Grail, right here in Epping, NH, was serving 20oz Enjoy By's for less than six bucks last time it was here....now that is a deal.

 

It happened to me at Prezo's in Milford once when I went out to eat with the wife. They tell you the serving size of all their higher ABV beers on the menu but every beer I ordered came in a 16oz pint glass. Must have been a mistake. Good thing my wife doesn't drink.

 

"You can..." is not the same as "You will..." The comment "you can be served a 10% ABV beer in a pint" was in the larger context of how ABV is not considered in serving size regulations within MA.

We still don't know who called to shut down the liter mug night at Firebrand, and the Herald is still trying to get more details and will report on this next week. The ABCC did contact Firebrand on Friday, and it was communicated to them that liter pours are allowed under MA law.

 

I was at one place and saw DFH 90min on tap, so ordered one., I was expecting a smaller serving - 12 or even 10 ounce.
It came in imperial pint - 20oz serving this place has standard. I had to take a walk for a while before driving home, and I was a one and done that evening.

 

I guess the liter pour, and the legendary "10% ABV beer in a pint" have two things in common: they are both legal, and they are both not a good idea. Bar and pub owners should be using common sense here and trying not to overserve patrons. And I don't think we should be asking the ABCC to start including ABV in their serving size calculations, or even calling attention to the disparity. That kind of regulation is not likely to result in more freedom for consumers.