New Bill Ends State Control Over High Alcohol Content Beer

By Claire Kellett, Reporter/Anchor

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By KCRG Intern

Story Created: Mar 10, 2010 at 9:10 PM CST

Story Updated: Mar 10, 2010 at 10:40 PM CST

Today Governor Chet Culver signed a bill into law that relinquishes state control over high-alcohol-content beer.

That means bars and restaurants can now buy those beers directly from distributors, without having the state act as a middle-man. Local micro-breweries can now make those higher-proof beers for their customers.

Until today, John's Grocery has served as a state retailer for high-alcohol-content beer. Now, bars and restaurants can buy that beer directly from distributors instead of wholesale from the Iowa City store.

The store manager says he'll miss that business, but the new state law will expand his beer selection.

"The good thing is by this time next year, I'll potentially have over 500 new beers. And instead of having the best Belgian beer selection in the U.S., I'll probably have the best beer selection in the U.S," said Doug Alberhatsky.

By eliminating the middle-man...in this case the state's alcoholic beverages division...beer drinkers in Iowa will be able to get the higher-proof beer much closer to home.

"The amount of beer being purchased in Chicago and Madison was just staggering, so now Iowans can buy all the beers in the state."

Local brew-pubs, like Third Base Sports Bar in Cedar Rapids, are anxious to brew the stronger kind of beer. And the brew master says he knows his customers are excited.

"To get one fresh on tap is really unique especially for Cedar Rapids, and really for Iowa. It'll be a great selling-point for brew pubs, all brew pubs in Iowa," said Travis Scheidecker, Brewer at Third Base.

But he says beer enthusiasts must be patient. It takes weeks, even months, to produce higher proof beers.

The brew master at Third Base also says he can't start brewing that kind of beer until the bar and brewery gets a license to do it. But he doesn't expect that to be a long process.

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