Senate advances bill to raise retail beer alcohol thresholds from 3.2% to 4.8% after extended debate

Senator Mark Stevenson introduced legislation to change two alcohol-content thresholds in state law, replacing the 3.2% retail limit with 4.8% and raising a second threshold from 4% to 6%, a move he said would restore product availability in grocery and convenience stores. “It changes 3.2 to 4.8, and it changes 4 to 6,” Stevenson told colleagues, noting manufacturers had begun removing 3.2 products from the Utah market and that the bill is intended as a commerce measure, not a moral one.

The sponsor framed SB132 as a business and supply-chain response. He said some manufacturers were no longer producing 3.2 labels for Utah, shrinking choices on store shelves and disproportionately affecting small,…