AURORA | The long-simmering fight over whether grocery stores should be allowed to sell full-strength beer is expected to heat up over the next year — and Colorado craft brewers will likely be right in the middle of things.
A group called “Your Choice Colorado,” which is backing the measure, announced this week they had filed ballot language that would put the question to voters on next year’s ballot.
“This is a common sense reform that will make life easier for Colorado families, reduce prices for Colorado consumers, and create over 22,000 jobs in the state,” Deputy District Attorney of Denver Blake Harrison said in a statement. “Like residents of the 42 states that allow Colorado beer or wine in their grocery stores, Coloradans deserve the ability to buy their favorite beer or wine at their local market.”
Former Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson is also backing the push.
“Our current two-stop system to purchase alcohol isn’t convenient for all consumers or the optimal market for local brewers or businesses,” Robinson said in the statement. “Reforming our existing laws makes sense, and we will make it more convenient for Coloradans in a safe and responsible manner.”
If the ballot language is approved, the campaign will have six months to gather close to 100,000 valid signatures to get the measure on the ballot.
But changing the state liquor laws has been unpopular among craft brewers and local liquor store owners, who argue the current set up has allowed stores to focus on small craft brewers instead of the industrial beers they say will dominate grocery shelves.
Ben Davis of Keep Colorado Local, which opposes the change and includes craft brewers including Aurora’s Dry Dock Brewing Co., framed the battle as big chain stores against small brewers and local shops.
“Today’s filing shows that Goliath is still going after David, and we expect David will triumph on election day as Coloradans learn about the negative impacts that nearly doubling the number of retail alcohol outlets would have on our local economy and public safety. Profits for national big-box stores simply aren’t a good reason for changing state laws that have grown a vibrant marketplace benefiting over 1,000 local businesses,” he said in a statement.
It’s not all politics on the beer scene this week, though.
And at Launch Pad Brewing Co., the tart cherry saison is flowing now, but the uber-popular lemon lavender saison will be ready to serve in a couple weeks.
Stop the beer and wine monopoly and let grocers carry these products. I agree with letting the liquor stores keep their monopoly on distilled products such as whiskey and rum. If the ‘mom and pops’ cannot compete, too bad.
The grocery stores won’t carry specialty beer since it doesn’t move off the shelves fast enough, therefore many of the small brewers won’t be selling at grocery stores.
Very misleading headline. Grayson Robinson, the only example of “law enforcement lining up” in the article is a paid consultant working for the campaign filing the ballot initiative. I know you guys are on deadlines but at least do the research so you can tell the truth instead of playing directly into the hands of blatant media-manipulation.