Thrillist: Utah's Liquor Laws

Also, that's why I've basically have slowed my beer drinking by a HUGE margin. Bourbon is the way to go now a days.

 

You got that right, and so is Colorado.

 

FTFY

 

What does FTFY mean?

 

Fixed That For You

 

ok

 

Apparently I've come across this thread quite late. Basically what Wasatch has said is correct (less the Epic thing). Every beer from any given breweries portfolio is available to whoever wants it - as it's available. 4%+ abv beers only in bottles. The state's stranglehold on all forms if alcohol is Stalin-esque at best, but it's slowly improving. It's frustrating when the people who write the liquor laws hate alcohol and have no interest in learning about the alcoholic beverage industry or it's culture. The beer doesn't flow like it does in more enlightened states, but it's not as bad as some of the less informed would have you believe. There are 20+ breweries/brewpubs operating with more coming every year. More info here. Http://utahbeer.blogspot.com

 

Also, I'd venture to say they're poised to dominate the session beer trend...just saying...they've been doing it for years.

 

That doesn't apply to beer at all.

 

And Epic didn't move out of Utah--in fact, they recently opened a second brewery in Salt Lake.

 

Not for years now. There is still a rule about how much can be served at once--you can't order a pitcher if you're alone, for example.

 

Bitch all you want, but it is waaaay better that it used to be.

 

There are numerous types of liquor licenses in Utah. We sell beers up to 10.31% ABV by the bottle and you don't have to eat if you are in our bar (club liquor license), but in the restaurant you have to order food with any alcoholic beverage (restaurant liquor license). We buy beer from 4%ABV and down from a distributor at wholesale (what you find at a convenient or grocery store) Beer from the State liquor store is 4% ABV and up, and we pay the same price an individual would pay just coming in off the street, between $1.70 and $10.00 a bottle depending on size, quality and location. There is still access to great beer in Utah and I know of other states with even more extensive laws than Utah but it still sucks. I mean we could have more dry counties than we do so I guess it could be worse. But they are constantly battling with changing the large list of liquor laws and have been in talks of privatizing the state liquor stores, doubt it but we will see, and getting rid of the "Zion Curtain".

 

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...-state-strict-liquor-rules/?intcmp=latestnews

 

Surprisingly there are no dry counties in Utah.

 

I'll throw in my two cents, living in Utah and all. It's a bit tough to be a transplanted BA/craft beer lover out here, but it's certainly not impossible. The laws are conservative, to say the least. The worst part for me is that I can't get anything over 4 percentish on tap, even at the breweries. I miss being able to order a nice fresh glass of a big stout or double IPA...I can only get those in bottles now, whether I'm at a restaurant or a bar. I'm happy I can still get them (at least what's available here), but it's a different drinking experience out of the bottle vs. on tap, and bottles are more expensive when I go out. Session beers are the only thing available on tap, and those are pretty good (with lots of variety). In fact, I've developed much more of a taste for them, and it is nice to be able to put back two or three in a sitting and not worry as much about the effects. They also are great for the many outdoor activities here, and we usually take at least a couple hiking or camping. The breweries in Utah are good, not great, much like the breweries from my previous state of Kansas. They put out some solid offerings, and I've had a few that were very good. Again, it's hard for me to completely judge their higher ABV stuff since I can only get those in bottles. I've noticed that most restaurants do a good job of offering local craft beer here, not just standard BMC, and that's one thing I really appreciate. It's not the best place to be as a BA, but it could be worse.

 

ISO : 4% Utah Tap Takeover

 

This is a good backgrounder on beer in Utah - it's certainly picking up quickly: http://www.visitutah.com/blog/post/2013/6/A-Craft-Storm-is-Brewing/41/

 

Haha... Yes, we could have more--but could not have less--dry counties than we do.

 

there may not be counties, but we have dry cities. Blanding, for instance is a dry city.