Colorado C-Stores Offer Full-Strength Beer

DENVER – At 8am on January 1, 2019, nearly 1,600 stores will automatically get a license upgrade to sell full-strength beer. The Denver Post reports that the state’s ruling will take place on January 1—erasing the 3.2 beer law from the Prohibition era.

According to the Denver Post, other changes coming into effect include:

• All forms of alcoholic beverages will be allowed in most state parks. Full-strength beer, wine and champagne will be allowed in Denver parks.
• Convenience and grocery stores with beer licenses can start selling full-strength beer, including nearly 200 locations in Denver alone.
• Grocery and c-stores can start delivering beer.
• A limited number of additional grocery stores will be allowed to sell liquor and wine.

“That was a very sweeping change, probably the biggest since Prohibition, in how liquor is sold in Colorado,” said Patrick Maroney, the director of Colorado’s Liquor Enforcement Division.
 
This will affect more than 100 stores for both King Soopers and Safeway. And grocers are preparing for the new wave of products by building new rows of refrigeration. In fact, Steve Findley, head of the Colorado Beer Distributors Association says that grocery and c-stores are likely to increase their beer orders by a cumulative 30% next year as the number of full-strength beer sellers is expected to double.

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