3.2: A beer by any other name

Experts say 3.2 variety similar to 'regular' brew in alcohol content

By Roger Fillion, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Monday, May 12, 2008

This year's battle at the state Capitol over grocery and convenience stores selling full-strength beer cast a spotlight on what some might label the ugly duckling of beers: the 3.2 variety.

But what exactly is this supposedly lower-alcohol brew that grocers and convenience stores such as 7-Eleven sell vs. "regular" beer? Why is Colorado one of a handful of states where 3.2 beer is sold by law - though grocers and convenience store operators insist that 3.2 beer is poised to become obsolete.

And is 3.2 beer really much different from the so-called regular beer sold on liquor store shelves?

"Not a whole lot," said Paul Gatza, executive director of the Brewers Association in Boulder. "Most of the domestic lagers are going to be between 3.2 percent (alcohol) by weight and 3.6 percent by weight."

David Reitz, an industry consultant who has worked with the grocery industry on wine and beer sales, noted that "most domestic and imported light beers" range from 2 percent to 3.4 percent alcohol by weight.

"This means that while many are perceived as strong beers by the public, in truth their alcohol content is basically that of 3.2 beer," he said.

The likes of Amstel Light, Coors Light, even the "black stuff" known as Guinness Draught, pack an alcohol level not much different than 3.2 beer, according to the Web site Realbeer.com.

That said, we set out to learn more about 3.2 beer.

The fight over whether groceries and convenience stores should be allowed to sell full-strength beer is likely to resurface at the legislature in 2009.

The grocers lost that battle this year. They warn that their sales of 3.2 beer will plummet starting this summer, now that liquor stores will be allowed to open Sundays and sell regular beer, wine and other alcohol starting July 6.

The grocers argue that beer drinkers will prefer to buy regular beer at the liquor store on Sundays, when most sales of 3.2 beer currently occur.

Aside from Colorado, five other states have rules governing sales of 3.2 beer: Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Utah.

Anheuser-Busch, Coors and Miller are among big brewers selling 3.2 beer. Craft brewers such as Breckenridge Brewery and Boulder Beer also sell it.

How do brewers make 3.2 beer?

"What they'll generally do is add water to the brewing process," said Gatza of the Brewers Association. "That would be the most common way to do it."

The roots of 3.2 beer date to the Prohibition era.

The 18th Amendment creating Prohibition banned "intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes." But it didn't refer to the alcohol level or identify the beverages.

After Franklin Roosevelt was elected president, Washington lawmakers succeeded in revising the Volstead Act, which had governed the level of alcohol considered "intoxicating."

After hearing from scientists and brewers, Congress rewrote the act to classify "nonintoxicating" beverages as those containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol.

The change also allowed beer sales to resume months before the needed two-thirds of the states ratified the 21st Amendment repealing Prohibition, in December 1933.

After Roosevelt signed the law permitting 3.2 percent alcohol beer, the beer taps opened on April 7, 1933.

Maureen Ogle - author of Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer - noted that the 3.2 level was the same as most pre-Prohibition beer.

"It was just a matter of expediency and politics in 1933," she said.

Not long afterward, Colorado established that grocery stores could sell only 3.2 percent beer and that they could sell the brew seven days a week.

Younger beer drinkers from 18 to 20 years old could drink 3.2 beer in Colorado until 1987, when the state bowed to pressure from Uncle Sam to boost the legal drinking age or lose federal highway dollars.

Fast-forward to today.

The new law allowing Colorado liquor stores to open on Sundays spurred grocery and convenience stores to cry foul, saying it would deep-six their sales of 3.2 beer.

"This new law is unfair to retailers who want to compete fairly and to consumers who want the convenience of buying beer when they pick up groceries or stop for gas," said Sean Duffy, spokesman for the grocery and convenience stores.

He added that the stores would "closely watch" their 3.2 sales this summer and fall "and show what happens when the legislature picks winners and losers in the marketplace."

Lawmakers killed a bill this year that would have allowed grocery and convenience stores to sell regular beer and wine. Liquor stores fought the bill, arguing that they would be put out of business.

The Colorado Department of Revenue collected $582,595 in excise taxes for 3.2 beer last year. It collected $8.1 million for regular beer.

So just how popular is 3.2 beer?

"It does pretty well," said Todd Usry, brewery director at Breckenridge Brewery, which sells a 3.2 version of its Avalanche amber ale.

The brewer made 1,220 barrels of the beer last year, compared with about 17,000 barrels of regular Avalanche.

Usry said the beer is especially popular among tourists who like to buy beer at grocery stores. He noted that tourists may not realize they're buying 3.2 beer.

"We see it ramp up in Summit County, especially when ski season kicks in," he said of 3.2 sales.

So what does Usry think of 3.2 Avalanche vs. the regular version of the amber ale?

"I kind of prefer it," admitted Usry. "It's a little bit lighter to me."

fillionr@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2467

• May 13, 2008

  6:06 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  LOUIE writes:

  As an Irish catholic, lets skip the beer and serve the John Jameson and Sons. Let the lightweight beer drinkers hang out with the orangemen and drink the Bushmills.

• May 13, 2008

  8:03 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  RegusPatoff writes:

  Of course, this article doesn't address the fact that most 3.2% beer is rated "alcohol by weight" whereas the liquor store beers are generally rated as "alcohol by volume." There is a difference. In comparing apples to apples, 3.2% beer is actually around 4% alcohol by volume.

• May 13, 2008

  9 a.m.

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  Jojowalk writes:

  3.2 beer is actually 5.33% by volume

• May 13, 2008

  9:41 a.m.

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  GrayOwl writes:

  Very interesting. Here's another question: Years ago in Kansas, it was legal to drive while drinking 3.2 beer, provided the driver remained under the legal limit for intoxication. What is current Colorado law? Also, is it legal to drive in Colorado while drinking so-called non-alcoholic "beer"?

• May 13, 2008

  10 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  MtnRooster writes:

  If grocery stores are truly only selling 3.2 beer on Sundays, when other beer is not available, why don't they publish the statistic showing Saturday 3.2 sales vs. Sunday 3.2 sales?
  I know a few people that prefer 3.2 beer.

• May 13, 2008

  10:02 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  4gColoNative writes:

  Two sites that support 3.2 by weight = 4.0 by volume

  http://www.realbeer.com/spencer/style...
  http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/ques...

• May 13, 2008

  10:48 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  DisplacedColoradoan writes:

  "I know a few people that prefer 3.2 beer."

  Yeah... they're called Raiders fans.

• May 13, 2008

  10:50 a.m.

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  GrayOwl writes:

  Raiders fans, to be sure -- and they use it on their Sugar Frosted Flakes every morning.

• May 13, 2008

  11:01 a.m.

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  Chadley25 writes:

  Alcohol by mass, alcohol by volume, alcohol by weight, 3.2% ABM = 4.0% ABV, the effects of alcohol are more pronounced at higher altitudes (I'm sure there's a formula for that, too), so a 3.2 beer in Summit County is equivalent to a 4.1 beer in Pueblo... wow, who knew you needed a degree in mathematics just to enjoy a beer in Colorado?

• May 13, 2008

  11:05 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  pwern writes:

  GrayOwl - you're correct. It used to be legal to drive around with an open container of any alcohol in your vehicle, as long as you weren't drunk. That became illegal on a state-wide level about 10 year ago through an Act of the Legislature (that Roy Romer signed into law).

  Funny thing is - it's still legal to drive around with a loaded weapon in your car in Colorado. Even if it's concealed under your seat or in your glovebox. So it's okay to be lethally armed - just don't be enjoying an adult beverage when the cop pulls you over.

• May 13, 2008

  11:47 a.m.

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  SASQUATCH writes:

  Another good example how unnecessary government intervention and mandate ultimately opens the door to the "law of unintended consequences"...don't screw with markets.

• May 13, 2008

  noon

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  roger44 writes:

  Having a weapon in the glove box is not a mind altering event. It is also legal if you are a law abiding citizen. When Colorado had the 3.2 beer at 18, we used to drive to Julesburg from Nebraska and have a few, well, more than that. Like they were encouraging driving and drinking.
  Not letting grocery stores sell "regular" beer is protectionism.

• May 13, 2008

  12:39 p.m.

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  R8R_H8R writes:

  I did the Coors & Bud beer tour. One of the 'guides' said flat out, the difference between the 3.2 and 6.0 is ONE TENTH OF ONE PERCENT. One is measured by weight, one is measured by volume. The tour guide ridiculed those who announce how much 'more buzzed' they are on 6.0 beer, because it's the same.

• May 13, 2008

  12:41 p.m.

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  R8R_H8R writes:

  RE: It used to be legal to drive around with an open container of any alcohol in your vehicle. That became illegal on a state-wide level about 10 year ago through an Act of the Legislature (that Roy Romer signed into law).
  I got a ticket 22 years ago for an open container. That information is completely incorrect.

• May 13, 2008

  2:10 p.m.

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  ghostie writes:

  R8R_H8R -

  Pwern was correct - it was illegal in certain juristictions (was up to the individual municipalities), not state-wide. It was legal on state/public highways.

  I believe the new law was passed to avoid losing Federal Funding:

  http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injur...

• May 13, 2008

  3:59 p.m.

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  Dude writes:

  Just buy twice as much beer, a 3.2 12-pak is equivilent to a 6% 6-pak.

• May 13, 2008

  5:11 p.m.

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  Shaupeen writes:

  LOUIE - Classic post!

  Slainta!

• May 13, 2008

  7:21 p.m.

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  bouncing writes:

  The obvious omission in this article is that it assumes everyone drinks "light American lager", which even in its full-strength variety, represents but one category of beer, and not a very good one at that.

  Gourmet beers are typically between 6 and 8 percent alcohol, and are high enough calorie content that you only enjoy one or two. Almost no one gets drunk on gourmet beer.

  So as it happens, in a strange way, the limit on alcohol content promotes irresponsible drinking. You can go to 7/11 and buy a 12-pack of water-alcohol mix (Coors Light or whatnot) and be drunk in a half hour. But you can't go to Whole Food Market and buy a Belgium abbey ale to enjoy with dinner like you can in other states like Texas.

  If you're irresponsibly drinking for effect, perhaps 3.2 works. But if you're drinking for taste with no intention of becoming inebriated, 3.2 has beer nothing to offer.

  Legalize responsibility. Get rid of 3.2 beer and just let any store sell any kind of alcohol it wants. That might be a small step in liberalizing our liquor laws to encourage a more mature drinking culture like they have in France, Italy, etc.

• May 13, 2008

  8:21 p.m.

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  arby writes:

  I don't think you can compare the USA to France. We are much larger and each state makes its own rules. That is until the Feds threaten to take away the Highway funds. Montana law doesn't prohibit drinking and driving. You can go in a bar and get a beer to go or a mixed drink in a "go cup", plastic glass. If you are pulled over and are over the legal limit then you get a DUI. But you can have a drink in the vehicle. I was in Texas last week. There, each community makes their own rules as to whether or not to sell alcholic beverages. Some allow none, some allow beer & wine, some allow all. So you have to figure out the rules if you are a visitor. We were in a restaurant in a dry town when a couple came in with a bottle of wine to enjoy with their meal. I wondered about this to the waitress. "It's OK to bring your own we just can't sell it" was her reply. Goofy. These people left with an open bottle and would have been arrested in Colorado or Utah but not in Montana. North Dakota allows no sale on Sunday. None not even in a restaurant. Bars are closed. Wyoming allows all sales after 12:00 on Sunday. Bars can't open until after noon on Sunday either. So in ND you go to church and stay home, in WY you go to church and the liquor store on the way home. In July Coloradans won't even have to fake going to church.
  To sum this rant up we can't be compared to France.

• May 13, 2008

  9:36 p.m.

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  dano writes:

  I've bought Heineken beer at the supermarkets for years, knowing that they don't make 3.2 beer.

• May 15, 2008

  4 a.m.

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  LOUIE writes:

  To Bobby Sands: Sien Fien, you made us proud! St. Michael recieved a true patriot to soldier against the Devil's spawn...