Lawmakers consider bill to bring full strength beer, wine to grocery stores

Gregor Heusgen owns Downtown Fine Spirits and Wines in Colorado Springs. He worries a potential statewide rule change could force him and other mom and pop shops to close.

“You will see within the first six months my smaller competitors and competitors right next to the supermarkets right out of business,” Heusgen said.

On Capitol Hill in Denver, lawmakers are debating whether to change a law as old as prohibition.

The Colorado Legislature could do away with 3.2 percent alcohol content beer sold in grocery stores and allow Colorado breweries and wine makers to sell full strength beer and wine on supermarket aisles.

Your Choice Colorado is the group pushing for the legislation.

“Right now, it’s unfair to the consumer who does not have the choice of when and where to buy the products they love. It’s unfair to our wonderful craft brewing industry,” group spokesman Matt Chandler said.

At the moment, customers can buy Colorado craft beers on supermarket shelves 42 states, but not in their home state.

Heusgen’s store, that has 2,000 different wines and 3,000 different liquors, is his livelihood and he’s staunchly opposed to a change.

“In my opinion, it’s negative for the consumer, negative for the economy and bad for the state of Colorado,” Heusgen said.

Lawmakers have less than two weeks before the session wraps up to get something on the books.

Meanwhile Your Choice Colorado launched a campaign earlier this month to collect roughly 100,000 signatures to put the issue on the November ballot.