Retailers Respond Coolly to Warm Beer Proposal

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A Missouri state senator wants to force grocery and convenience stores in the state to sell only warm beer in an effort to cut down on drunk driving, reported the Associated Press.

Under a bill proposed by Sen. Bill Alter, stores would risk losing their liquor licenses if they sold beer colder than 60 degrees. The intent is to cut down on drunken driving by making it less tempting to pop open a beer after leaving the store, according to AP.

"The only reason why beer would need to be cold is so that it can be consumed right away," Alter, who has been a police offer for more than 20 years, told AP.

He said in the report the idea came from a fifth-grade student in Jefferson County who was participating in a program to teach elementary students about state government.

He sought their suggestions for new laws and chose the cold beer ban from a list of the top three ideas, AP reported.

"I thought it had the best chance at getting legislative attention," said Alter, a Republican, told AP. "Plus, I think it's a good idea, whether or not other people do."

Ron Leone, executive vice president for the Missouri Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, said in the report the combination of Missouri's drinking and driving laws and designated driver programs already has curbed the number of people who drink and drive.

"It would be an inconvenience for law-abiding citizens who want to purchase cold beer for picnics, parties and social gatherings," he told AP. "People who want to drive drunk will drive drunk anyway."

Leone said in the report he didn't know if there was a standard temperature at which beer is sold, but added that most refrigerators are set in the mid-to-low 40s.