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Customers could be sampling beer inside the Shades of Pale brewery sometime in August, after the South Salt Lake City Council gave tentative approval to the liquor request on Wednesday.

Final approval is expected by the council next week.

Once that happens, brewery owner Trent Fargher can apply for a bar license with the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

"We'll try to get a tavern license first," Fargher said. That would allow the brewer to sell beer samples that are 4 percent alcohol by volume — sometimes called 3.2-beer. "Then I'll get in line for a club license."

A club license will allow Shades of Pale to also sell its high-alcohol beer as well as wine and spirits on site. But the state has a shortage of club licenses, and businesses must typically wait six to 12 months to get one.

Until the club license is awarded, customers who want to try high-alcohol beer can buy beer by the bottle and take it to go.

Earlier in the week, Fargher feared customers never would be able to sample beer at his brewery, 154 W. Utopia (about 2100 South).

South Salt Lake has been revamping the community's alcohol code, and the last piece of the puzzle was deciding whether to allow microbreweries to have tasting rooms, and if so, whether they should be limited to serving low-alcohol beer.

Fargher said allowing customers to sample a product before buying is an important marketing tool for his business. He had already started building his tap room, but decided not to invest any more money until he was certain the city would grant him approval.

Local consent is a requirement before the DABC grants businesses liquor licenses.