dyennie
Well-Known Member
So I just found out I'm moving to Salt Lake City. I know Utah has some funky beer laws but don't know anything in particular. What do I need to know before getting there??
Moving to Salt Lake City
- Thread starter dyennie
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Beernik
Well-Known Member
It's not as bad as it's made out to be. Just assume that you are being treated like a petulant child. Which means there is almost always a way to get around any of the strange rules.
Restaurants: you have to order food to get alcohol. If you want to take your drink from the "bar area" to the "restaurant area", your server has to carry it for you. If your waitress is under 21, someone else will have to take your drink order and carry it to you.
You can't watch your drink being mixed or beer poured unless the restaurant is grandfathered under the "Zion curtain" law. However, you can order a beer in a bottle and get a glass and pour your own in full view "of the children who would be damaged by a bartender do it".
You have to buy anything greater than 4.0ABV beer at a State liquor store or at the brewery/distillery/winery it was made. It has to be in a bottle.
No happy hour but bars can have "time dependent drink specials".
You cannot buy beer in anything larger than a 2L bottle unless it's a growler. You can only get greater than 4.0ABV growlers at the brewery and they can only fill a set number each day. No kegs. No mini-kegs.
You don't have to have a private club membership to go to a bar anymore. Homebrewing is actually legal.
Restaurants: you have to order food to get alcohol. If you want to take your drink from the "bar area" to the "restaurant area", your server has to carry it for you. If your waitress is under 21, someone else will have to take your drink order and carry it to you.
You can't watch your drink being mixed or beer poured unless the restaurant is grandfathered under the "Zion curtain" law. However, you can order a beer in a bottle and get a glass and pour your own in full view "of the children who would be damaged by a bartender do it".
You have to buy anything greater than 4.0ABV beer at a State liquor store or at the brewery/distillery/winery it was made. It has to be in a bottle.
No happy hour but bars can have "time dependent drink specials".
You cannot buy beer in anything larger than a 2L bottle unless it's a growler. You can only get greater than 4.0ABV growlers at the brewery and they can only fill a set number each day. No kegs. No mini-kegs.
You don't have to have a private club membership to go to a bar anymore. Homebrewing is actually legal.
Beernik
Well-Known Member
Oh, and there is this video:
[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa4TFZWQTpQ[/ame]
[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa4TFZWQTpQ[/ame]
grizzly2378
Well-Known Member
Besides what was already mentioned, liquor stores sell all of their beer warm and as singles. You can buy a six pack of one beer, but they ring it up as six singles. The beer is not in a cooler so that, presumably, you will be forced to go home and cool it before drinking, keeping you from consuming it right away.
And good luck finding an open liquor store on a Sunday (in some towns, good luck finding an open anything on a Sunday).
And good luck finding an open liquor store on a Sunday (in some towns, good luck finding an open anything on a Sunday).
First, let me say I am so, so sorry. Hopefully you can find a way out of the Mormonreich soon. Beyond that, everyone else pretty much covered it. When I lived there, there was a pretty vibrant goth scene in Salt Lake City itself, so there's that; but you're probably going to have trouble finding drinking buddies and buying alcohol of any sort is a major hassle.
Brew_G
Well-Known Member
Yeah...thank f*** for the vibrant goth scene.
Gameface
Well-Known Member
A few things have been covered, but I do want to say, things are getting better. There are more actual bars around then there has ever been and in some areas you wouldn't know Mormons even exist (Sugarhouse and Park City). We have a number of very good breweries.
A quick word on "3.2" beer. It's 4%abv beer. Unless you typically use the alcohol by weight scale, you'd call it 4%abv beer. Since no one anywhere uses the ABW scale, let's just go ahead and call the beer what it is, 4%. Sorry, pet peeve rant /off.
Pro tip, if you want alcohol or beer at your house think ahead and don't get caught on a Sunday with nothing to drink. The liquor stores are closed. Of course, you can go to a gas station or grocery store and buy 4%abv beer. Or go to a bar or restaurant.
You can't buy a keg of beer or a mini bottle of alcohol.
As a homebrewer you're already ahead of the game. I feel like there is no better place to homebrew than Utah, just so that you can have the beer you want when you want it with no hassles. Be sure to visit Salt City Brew Supply in Midvale or the Beer Nut in Salt Lake for your brewing needs. Cody at Salt City Brew Supply and Jamie at the Beer Nut are awesome folks involved in our local beer and brewing culture. If you need info they can help you.
There are some good beer bars here. The Bayou, the Beerhive...honestly I haven't kept up as much as I should have and I know there are a few more that I should check out.
Utah is awesome. I served six years in the Navy and have lived in Illinois, Virginia and most of my time was in San Diego, CA (not to mention all the places I've had drink around the world). There's a special place in my heart for San Diego, but ultimately I love Utah the most.
A quick word on "3.2" beer. It's 4%abv beer. Unless you typically use the alcohol by weight scale, you'd call it 4%abv beer. Since no one anywhere uses the ABW scale, let's just go ahead and call the beer what it is, 4%. Sorry, pet peeve rant /off.
Pro tip, if you want alcohol or beer at your house think ahead and don't get caught on a Sunday with nothing to drink. The liquor stores are closed. Of course, you can go to a gas station or grocery store and buy 4%abv beer. Or go to a bar or restaurant.
You can't buy a keg of beer or a mini bottle of alcohol.
As a homebrewer you're already ahead of the game. I feel like there is no better place to homebrew than Utah, just so that you can have the beer you want when you want it with no hassles. Be sure to visit Salt City Brew Supply in Midvale or the Beer Nut in Salt Lake for your brewing needs. Cody at Salt City Brew Supply and Jamie at the Beer Nut are awesome folks involved in our local beer and brewing culture. If you need info they can help you.
There are some good beer bars here. The Bayou, the Beerhive...honestly I haven't kept up as much as I should have and I know there are a few more that I should check out.
Utah is awesome. I served six years in the Navy and have lived in Illinois, Virginia and most of my time was in San Diego, CA (not to mention all the places I've had drink around the world). There's a special place in my heart for San Diego, but ultimately I love Utah the most.
gratus fermentatio
Well-Known Member
Beautiful state, great skiing/snowboarding, screwed up liquor laws. Do yourself a favor & try some of the brews from Wasatch:
https://www.wasatchbeers.com/default.aspx
Regards, GF.
https://www.wasatchbeers.com/default.aspx
Regards, GF.
moreb33rplz
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I will add the law that irritated me the most. You can't buy beer on tap above 4%.
That's lame.
That's lame.
