We in Colorado have an initiative coming up this fall that will do away with a prohibition-era law allowing grocery stores to sell 3.2% (by weight) beer but not full strength beers and table wines. In its place, the corner grocery will be selling full strength beers which means the craft beers, and the table wines.
The craft beer industry opposes this as the groceries will not carry everybody's brews and the liquor stores back this since a large part of their business seems to involve craft beers and vin ordinaire for the masses.
It has been widely suggested that if the groceries begin selling this sort of stuff, they will be selling at a significant discount versus the liquor stores which would be a win for drinkers.
Groceries do not have unlimited shelf space so what would be created would be an A-list of products that would make the grocery list and a B-list of smaller volume products relegated to the liquor stores. One craft brewery has joined the open markets gang and is being blacklisted by the liquor stores.
St. Patricks Brewing Co. located in my own 'burb of Littleton has come down on the side of the free market.
Haven't been there. May have to visit soon. The website looks like they operate similarly to Boggy Draw with beer on the inside and a food truck on the outside.
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"Groceries do not have unlimited shelf space so what would be created would be an A-list of products that would make the grocery list and a B-list of smaller volume products relegated to the liquor stores."
That's exactly how it's worked out where I live. Lower end grocery stores carry mostly junk beer with a little higher end stuff. Boutique groceries have a lot more better quality stuff. Then we have Total Wine stores all over that carry a much broader variety of just wine and beer.
That's pretty much how I figured it would work. The bigger craft breweries would get into the bigger chains, low end beer would wind up in the bodegas, and if you want to see everything, there's always the liquor store. Another by product of this is that the formerly "3.2%" beers would be produced at full strength.
Since you can buy beer, wine, and liquor pretty much anywhere in Indiana, I'll report that the way it shakes out is that your grocery stores wind up with the big craft brews from the whole country, and if you want more regional or specialty stuff, you still wind up in a liquor store.
Here, you can go to Marsh or Kroger and get the usual Sam Adams, Fat Tire, Blue Moon, Sierra Nevada, Red Hook, Leinenkugel, and some of the bigger locals like Triton or Flat 12.
Bottom line is that the liquor stores are going to lose some popular item sales to the supermarkets which will push the liquor stores to raise prices on the local small production stuff. Some economic upheaval will happen of course. I don't see the measure having any trouble passing, and I suppose it will save some of us the extra trip for a 5-liter box of plonk.
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