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In the longstanding battle over who can sell 3.2 beer in the state of Colorado, Governor John Hickenlooper, a former restaurant owner and brewer, has recently been taken to task for allegedly siding with the Colorado Brewers Guild over a rule that requires beer manufacturers to disclose the alcohol content of their brews. The Denver Post mines a trove of e-mails from Hick’s friends in the craft beer biz, which were sent just hours after he was sworn in as governor. The messages show craft brewers wanted the rule killed, which is exactly what Hick attempted to do after interjecting in a legislative process that had been working on the frothy issues for months (Denver Daily News).
The debate over 3.2 has gone on for years, and “may not be settled this session,” writes Westword, which does an excellent job of presenting the matter—and the history of 3.2 beer in Colorado—clearly and comprehensively, concluding, “It’s past time to issue a last call for the archaic contrivance of 3.2 beer. Let there be light.”