Liquor laws

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah has run out of liquor permits for restaurants, bars and liquor clubs.

SALT LAKE CITY -- A federal judge is hearing arguments in a lawsuit challenging Utah's ban on happy-hour discounts and limited bar licenses.

MADISON, Wis. -- About the only thing Kevin Flynn enjoys more than drinking his home-brewed beer is sharing it with fellow beer club members at festivals and tasting competitions. So Flynn and his buddies were shocked to discover that Wisconsin law prohibits sharing homemade suds anywhere outside the brewer's home.

The law could "pretty much be the end of competitions in Wisconsin," he lamented. "At least legal ones."

SALT LAKE CITY -- Revenues from Utah's profitable liquor business will be collected by the Tax Commission under a bill that has passed the House.

SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that passed a House committee Friday would mandate that at least two members of Utah’s liquor commission be consumers of alcohol, a requirement that’s designed to provide a stronger voice for responsible adult drinkers in the state.

SALT LAKE CITY — When David Cole decided to open a Salt Lake City microbrewery, Utah regulators required him to build the brewing facility before they would give him a liquor license.

Cole had to invest significant capital into Epic Brewing with no assurances he could ever make the beer. While the state did eventually give its approval, Cole said it illustrated the burdensome nature of Utah’s liquor laws.

Cole is part of a group of bar, restaurant and ski resort owners that issued recommendations Friday to put more flexibility in Utah’s liquor regulations. The group was organized by Democratic legislative leaders as a way to bring new voices to a debate that is often driven by Republican lawmakers who abstain from alcohol because of their Mormon faith.

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Attorney General's office has been given more time to respond to a federal lawsuit filed by the state's hospitality industry that challenges Utah's ban on discounting bar drinks.