I live in Utah, I like beer, but I'm not religious about it. I would like to be able to get regular beer at the grocery store but there are like 3 liquor stores within 10 min from me so its not a big deal. So I'm curious as to what laws you really want changed? I think the laws are silly but not overly oppressive.
I don't think the laws are overly oppressive, either. I think they're ineffective.
What is gained by controlling the sale of >4%abv beer to liquor stores, bars and restaurants, and prohibiting >4%abv beer from being served on tap?
I don't think we as a society gain anything from that.
But the loss isn't that I now have to drive to the liquor store and pay higher prices. Well, that is a loss, but not the one I care about.
The loss is that it puts 4%abv beer at a competitive advantage to >4%abv beer. This strongly encourages our local breweries to produce beer at 4%abv. If you go to the grocery store you'll see a variety 12pack of Uintah beers. These beers all vary in style, yet they are all exactly 4%abv. The abv has been artificially adjusted (both up and down) to meet that magical number. Trader IPA might be a fine beer, but it's not a top notch IPA. It can't be, not at 4%abv. And it's not about pumping more alcohol in. To get more alcohol you have to use more malt (I'm being somewhat general here) which also increases the malt "backbone" of the beer, which then supports the higher hops bitterness, flavor and aroma that typifies an IPA. When you're brewing an IPA to light beer specs you can't do it right. You just can't.
That puts our local breweries at a competitive disadvantage nationally.
That drives customers to beers that are actually properly balanced at 4%abv, which happens to be light lagers by and large.
That limits the real variety we as consumers have.
In regard to no beer >4%abv on tap, there are many small breweries outside Utah that only ship their beers in kegs. We can have none of those beers.
Traditional English beers are typically served from the cask or firkin. These beers are not force carbonated and the art of getting them just right in the cask is one of the special skills of English brewing. There is a flavor and carbonation that is unique to these "real ales." Luckily beer above 4% abv is not all too common with English beers, but there are a few styles that do require greater than 4%abv, and these beers couldn't be served in Utah, at all.
So I can walk into a bar and order a hop rising (9%abv) in a bottle, but we are protecting the public by not allowing me to order a 5%abv bitter on tap?
I've got to get ready for work, but I've only just touched on this one subject and haven't even gotten into restrictions on kegs, mini bottles, restaurant service, the central ordering system, and on and on.
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