Ohio To Double Beer Alcohol Content Limit
<editor's note> The following is taken from TV channel 5, Cincinatti. </editor's note>
Change Helps Sale Of Specialty Beers Updated: 8:28 a.m. EDT June 19, 2002 COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio Senate voted Tuesday to double the alcohol content limit for beer to 12 percent. Backers said the move would allow the sale of specialty beers such as porters and stouts that exceed the current 6 percent limit. The bill already has cleared the House but must go back to that chamber for concurrence with Senate changes before being sent to the governor. Senators rejected an attempt on the floor to tack a provision onto the beer bill that would have eliminated markups on wine that can reach as high as 135 percent. Democratic Sen. Eric Fingerhut of Cleveland argued unsuccessfully that the price add-ons go against the free market and are essentially socialist. Retailers opposed removing the markups, saying that without them small sellers would be eaten up by larger ones that could undercut their prices.