This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2009, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Utah Senate has decided against allowing the sale of full-strength draft beer in bars and restaurants.
Currently, draft beer can contain no more than 3.2 percent alcohol by weight, or 4 percent by volume.
That cap would have been lifted under House Bill 349, sponsored by Rep. Curtis Oda, R-Clearfield. Most beer contains about 5 percent alcohol by volume and is watered down for sale in Utah.
The bill was approved 58-2 in the House. But on Thursday, the last day of the session, the Senate decided not to debate the measure and to go home early instead.
Bars and restaurants are already allowed to serve full-strength beer if they buy it in bottles from the state liquor store at the same 86 percent markup paid by the general public.
