Utah and Other State Archaic Liquor Laws
- Thread starter Marc_C
- Start date
rfarren
New member
You mean alliteration ale, sorry...."polygamy porter." :wink: The beer is alright out there. In fact, the worst local beer I ever had (I only really like bitter IPA's) was in Whistler. I've liked some of the cut-throats I've had out there, but besides they've got a decent selection. So, this Utah bashing on the beer is more or less unfounded.Marc_C":114glnx6 said:
Marc_C":35cs01va said:
To say you can't get a good beer in UT would be completely false; but I think calling it the land of week beer is fair game given the liquor laws. And I'm well aware that 4% by volume beer is basically just your typical light beer in the rest of the world.
http://www.alcbev.state.ut.us/Liquor_Laws/liquor_laws_affecting_visitors.html
socal":8tzeujzp said:
That might be true if 4% is the highest alcohol beer you can get here, but that's not the case. Liquor stores and bars can sell any beer. The Bayou, for example, where that Deschutes Inversion IPA was consumed, has a beer list several hundred long (literally), ranging from local Wasatch brews to Le Fin du Monde from Brasserie Unibroue in Quebec, a 9% triple-fermented concoction. Here's the list:
http://www.utahbayou.com/node/6
The idea that you can only get 4% beer in Utah is complete and utter myth. And there are plenty of states, including the one that I grew up in, that require you to go to a liquor store to purchase any beer -- at least you can buy up to 4% beer in a supermarket here.
Marc_C
Active member
In that case, you'd also need to call Colorado (and a few other states) the land of weak beer as well - the laws regarding beer strength in Colorado are identical to those of Utah: supermarkets and c-stores cannot sell beer greater than 3.2% by weight (4% ABV).socal":3evfhq9d said:
schubwa
New member
Marc_C":gc62it80 said:
I may not know anything about beer, but I do know what I like. I rooted around the house and found these:
1) Rogue "Dead Guy Ale" ($5.99 Newport Market) all around favorite.
2) Deschutes "Red Chair" NWPA, 6.4% and available all over town.
3) Ninkasi "Total Domination IPA" is from Eugene and is my son Carson's favorite. 6.7% and $3.99, tasty!
4) 10 Barrel "Apocalypse IPA" is $3.99 and they just opened their brewhouse down the street from me. It's the bomb.
Admin":gc62it80 said:
Knowing that, it might be time for me to schedule a trip to the Bird (it's better in the spring than Alta, as you know). And maybe get a little exercise to wear off this beer belly!
Admin":1tyqraec said:
I told you in a different thread that I've been to the Bayou and had a few Chimay's so I'm well aware you can buy real beer in UT. Just saying, if I go to a bar (not a restaurant) and order a beer what do I get? I could care less about the beer laws, I come to UT to ski. I do wish I could get a drink (more than one shot of vodka) but I'd gladly trade the liquor laws for the snow/mountains you have.
Marc_C
Active member
Depends on what you order, like anywhere else. Domestic or import? Draught or bottled? Some local brews are only 4%, others are 7%. Which would you prefer, an excellent, flavorful, 4% amber ale or a bottle of pee from Bud or Miller, merely because those are higher alcohol?socal":4n3akh8n said:
Oh, and just because it's a restaurant doesn't mean they don't have full strength beer or mixed drinks. The only difference between a restaurant full liquor license and a bar license is that in a restaurant, you are required to order food with your drink. However, there are some restaurants that only have a beer and wine license, however that license does not restrict the serving of full strength beer.
Pop quiz time:
1) A can of Guinness purchased in a Utah supermarket is 3.2% ABW. What is the alcohol content of real, draught Guinness?
2) You have a 12oz bottle of Utah 3.2% beer. On average, how much more (ie: what quantity) would you need to drink in order to get the same amount of alcohol as you would from a 12oz bottle of a typical full strength beer bought outside of Utah?
johnnash
New member
This is an entertaining thread! I can't resist weighing in on a couple of topics.
On beer: It's certainly possible to get good beer in Utah (my personal favorite is Polygamy Porter, mainly because of the name :lol: ), but Bend has a real nice feature in the Deschutes Brewery, where you can sample their entire line of really interesting beers for free. They'd probably not look kindly on you if you tried this every day, but it makes for a nice apres ski activity one afternoon.
On accessibility: You can't beat SLC. But if you're thinking about Tony's suggestions of Mammoth or Bachelor from the East Coast, it's worth considering the following: You can get a through ticket to Redmond on United (maybe on others as well), which is only a 30 minutes drive from Bend, which is only a 20 minute drive from Bachelor. So that makes it pretty close to SLC in terms of convenience. A through ticket to a small town like this tends to be fairly pricey, but if you have miles with Star Alliance, the mileage requirement is the same anywhere in the US, so this is a good use of the miles. For Mammoth, it's possible to fly into Mammoth Lakes on a small carrier, but I don't think you can get a through ticket, and the one time I looked, the times were not very good. What we did to get to Mammoth, which was a lot of fun, was fly into Vegas, spend a couple of days there, then drive 5 hours or so through Death Valley -- very interesting drive -- then return via Reno, which is about a 3-hour drive from Mammoth. Both Vegas and Reno have great connections to almost anywhere.
On beer: It's certainly possible to get good beer in Utah (my personal favorite is Polygamy Porter, mainly because of the name :lol: ), but Bend has a real nice feature in the Deschutes Brewery, where you can sample their entire line of really interesting beers for free. They'd probably not look kindly on you if you tried this every day, but it makes for a nice apres ski activity one afternoon.
On accessibility: You can't beat SLC. But if you're thinking about Tony's suggestions of Mammoth or Bachelor from the East Coast, it's worth considering the following: You can get a through ticket to Redmond on United (maybe on others as well), which is only a 30 minutes drive from Bend, which is only a 20 minute drive from Bachelor. So that makes it pretty close to SLC in terms of convenience. A through ticket to a small town like this tends to be fairly pricey, but if you have miles with Star Alliance, the mileage requirement is the same anywhere in the US, so this is a good use of the miles. For Mammoth, it's possible to fly into Mammoth Lakes on a small carrier, but I don't think you can get a through ticket, and the one time I looked, the times were not very good. What we did to get to Mammoth, which was a lot of fun, was fly into Vegas, spend a couple of days there, then drive 5 hours or so through Death Valley -- very interesting drive -- then return via Reno, which is about a 3-hour drive from Mammoth. Both Vegas and Reno have great connections to almost anywhere.
johnnash
New member
Marc_C":1cddi221 said:
Yep, I agree that if you're just trying to minimize drive time, Reno is the way to go. But if you go at least one way through Vegas, the scenery of Death Valley is eye-popping, and even though I don't enjoy gambling, I had a great time there. That's what I got for waking up in Vegas
Also, if you're going on the cheap, the flights through Vegas are significantly cheaper than through Reno, or at least they were when we went several years ago.
schubwa
New member
johnnash":2py1919d said:
True, except Redmond is 15 miles from Bend on a four laner, so that 30 minutes might include your transfer and some rental car pickup time. Delta has flights into Redmond from SLC and Denver. Another idea is to take a gambler special to Vegas from the East, then hop on Allegiant Air which has round trip flights from there to Redmond/Bend for $69. So you get your Vegas fix, no 10 hour drive, and you get to drink yourself silly on ales here in Oregon! Oh yeah, and there's no sales tax!
Johnnash, weren't you coming out here this spring? Did I miss your report?
johnnash
New member
Yes, Schubwa, mea maxima culpa, I was remiss in not filing a TR. The reason is that -- due to circumstances too complicated to go into -- I couldn't download pix from my cellphone until a week after my trip, which seemed too dated to be of much interest to anyone. But the short version is that we had 5 days (4 for my wife) of terrific skiing, including a diversity of conditions. We had a couple of stormy, windy days, when the Outback and NWX lifts came in real handy, since the wind was fom the south, and a couple of real bluebird days. By the last day, surface conditions were suffering a bit from a bluebird hangover, but it was still good. I mostly skied trails with my wife, but did a few runs off-piste, including one memorable one from a point that is a long (for me) hike from the top of Summit. From something I read in an article about the history of Bachelor, I think this is the top of the volcano cone. I skied more or less straight down, and ended up at the top of the NWX lift. It was especially exciting because I ran into some strange kind of condition, which looked like the snow had been semi-melted, then windblown into little horizontal points and re-frozen. Skiing that stuff was a real adrenaline rush!!
Anyway, we had a great time, and I'll definitely try to get back sometime. =D> I envy you!
Anyway, we had a great time, and I'll definitely try to get back sometime. =D> I envy you!
We'd still like to see that TR from Bachelor. It will be plenty timely compared to most of Patrick's. 
Marc_C":1llxxz4t said:
Totally agree with socal that you go to Utah to ski, not drink. However, there's still some WTF? alcohol laws in Utah that make it feel like a backwater compared to Europe, California, etc. The big ones I've run into are the fact restaurants can't serve alcohol before noon and the limitations of state liquor stores.
Say you're enjoying the excellent brunches at Deer Valley, Solitude, etc. and your wife wants to order a mimosa or maybe you'd like an Irish coffee or bloody mary to help you recover from the fun you had last night. Sorry!
Say you've just flown into Utah and you want to buy some wine or spirits to enjoy in your ski condo. In California the local grocery store (or the private liquor store down the street) will serve you. In Utah you've got to find one of a handful of state liquor stores and hope that it isn't Sunday or after 10pm. Study up before your trip!
Utah has definitely gotten more liberal lately (in terms of alcohol laws), but sometimes it's all too apparent that the local government thinks adults can't possibly make their own, responsible decisions...