KOCHVILLE TWP.-- Michael Sous has sold two kegs since Nov. 1.
Sous is the owner of Jenny’s Party Store, 6340 Bay, and he says that before Michigan’s keg tagging law went into effect, his store sold four to five kegs weekly.
Sous’s store caters to many Saginaw Valley State University students, he said.
“It’s pretty pathetic,” he said. “No one wants the liability.”
Since the beginning of November, state law requires that all kegs sold be tagged, with an identification stating who purchased the alcohol. In order for keg deposits to be returned, the tags must remain in place. Removing the tag results in the loss of the deposit and a potential misdemeanor charge with up to 93 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.
Sous says that while the law is a positive move to curb underage drinking, sales of other products, like cases and 30-packs have simply increased.
“I’ve heard of some stores that have stopped carrying kegs,” he said. “We’ll always be having kegs. College kids are the ones buying the kegs.”
For Jeff Opperman, the owner of Cork and Ale, 2940 Midland, the new law hasn’t cost him keg sales, instead, they result in a different trouble: additional paperwork.
“It sure costs us a lot more money, taking time with my employees, with other customers to fill out forms,” he said. “That is a lot more hassle for us and a lot more work for us that we don’t get anything out of.”
Opperman says keeping alcohol away from minors, but it can be done in different ways.
“It’s typical, bureaucratic paperwork that’s overdone,” he said.
His customers, unlike Sous’s, are older, and purchase kegs to produce at-home microbrews.
He also said that beer manufacturers are going to see a challenge, as removing the tagged kegs to refill them will equal significant costs in labor.
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