Ohio Beer Law Changes Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is a big day for Ohio Beer Law.

The Governor signed House Bill 37, into law earlier this year. The law will lift the current 12 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) ceiling. The new law goes into effect Wednesday, August 31st. Under the new law, there’s no cap.  Beers are expected to be around 30 percent ABV which is far below what you would find in whiskey.

Rep. Dan Ramos, a Lorain Democrat, has introduced several bills raising the cap, which was raised from 6 to 12 percent in 2002. Ramos pointed to Ohio’s alcohol limits as a reason Stone Brewing chose to expand in Virginia instead of Ohio. He championed this legislation and it passed by wide margins. Another champion of the bill was the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. “We’ve gone from 58 breweries in 2012 to 177 today. That’s an economic generator, that’s taxes being paid to the state of Ohio,” Mary MacDonald, Executive Director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, said. (quoted at 10tv.com). The immediate result will benefit the Miami Valley and the Brewery District in Columbus. Both areas have become a hotbed for beer lovers. Changing the Ohio beer law to accommodate the changes in the market makes sense. But there are critics.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving Does Not Support The Legislation

10TV, the source of this blog post also contacted Mothers Against Drunk Driving to get their response to the new law raising alcohol levels in beer. Here is their statement:

“MADD cautions drinkers of craft (high-alcohol-content) beer or other high-alcohol-content beverages that they may likely reach a level of impairment quicker than what they might be accustomed to. Never drink and drive, no matter what the alcohol content might be in the beverage you are consuming.”

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