Stronger beer could be coming to a street festival near you
The next time you go to a street festival in Wichita, you might end up leaving with a little more of a buzz.
To catch up with changes in state liquor laws, the Wichita City Council is poised to allow slightly stronger beer at special events, fairs and festivals held on public streets, parking lots and alleys.
Previously, those events were limited to “cereal malt beverages,” better known as 3.2 beer, because the alcohol content topped out at 3.2 percent by volume.
“Before, (stronger beer) was considered to be liquor,” said City Manager Robert Layton.
In 2017, the state Legislature passed a law to allow convenience and grocery stores to ditch 3.2 beer and sell beer with up to 6 percent alcohol, measured by weight.
What the law didn’t do was make clear whether the stronger beer could also be sold by holders of special event retailer permits.
That’s a temporary permit issued by the city allowing beer sales for street parties and similar events without the hassle of obtaining a temporary liquor license from the state.
It’s unlikely that local distributors will even carry 3.2 beer anymore.
The “strong beer” law took effect April 1.
Retail vendors quickly sold off their remaining stock of 3.2 beer and filled their coolers with stronger — and pricier — brews.
The Legislature responded this year by passing Senate Bill 70, which specifically allows special event permit holders to sell the same kind of beer now sold by grocery and convenience stores.
The City Council is being asked to align the city code with the state law.
In practice, the beer to be sold at community events is only slightly stronger than 3.2 beer it’s replacing.
The reason is that 3.2 percent is a measure of alcohol by weight. Because alcohol is lighter than water, a 3.2 beer is the equivalent of 4 percent by volume.
Most of the popular light beers —Miller, Coors and Bud lights for example — are between 4.1 and 4.2 percent alcohol by volume.
Or to put it another way, a 12 ounce can of “strong” light beer would have approximately seven to 14 more drops of alcohol in it than the 3.2 variety.
Regular Budweiser, Miller and Coors brews have 5 percent alcohol by volume. That would be about three-quarters of a teaspoon more alcohol per 12-ounce can than 3.2 beer.
A few beers skirt the 6 percent limit, mostly “ice” varieties. They’re called that because the beer is partially frozen at the brewery and some of the water ice is skimmed off to boost alcohol content.
Some examples of ice beers that hit 5.9 percent alcohol are Keystone Ice, a Coors product, and Natural Ice, a cousin to Budweiser.
Beers targeting calorie-conscious consumers, including Miller 64 and Bud Select 55, have less alcohol in them than a 3.2 beer.
The council is expected to approve the new beer rules at a meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 455 N. Main, Wichita.
This story was originally published June 14, 2019 at 5:24 PM.
