India pale ale is a beer, Iowa legislators decided Tuesday morning.
Stouts and porters? Also beer.
To beer lovers, that's obvious. But state law doesn't yet make the distinction.
According to the state's current definition, beer stops being beer once it hits the 5 percent alcohol mark. Brews like the IPA, which are typically 5 to 8 percent alcohol by volume, were left in limbo somewhere between a lager and a liquor.
Lawmakers in the Iowa House tried to clear up some of that ambiguity, voting to expand the definition of beer to include those with higher alcohol content. High-alcohol-content beer is currently defined as not more than 12 percent of alcohol by weight or 15 percent of alcohol by volume.
It's a small change that won't affect the way beer is sold, said Mike Heller, a lobbyist for the Iowa Wholesale Beer Distributors Association. Instead, it brings makers of higher-alcohol beer into line with other brewers when it comes to business regulations.
"What it does is, it treats all business dealings in beer the same," Heller said. "There weren't really problems, but we're trying to avoid future issues."
The change would mean producers and distributors of high-alcohol beer would be subject to the same statutes governing private business dealings as traditional brewers, Heller said. That includes statutes that define the way things such as contract terminations and lawsuits get handled, he said.
State Rep. Quentin Stanerson, R-Centerpoint, presented the bill in the House. He said the change is necessary to tidy up state code as craft breweries grow more popular.
According to the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit national craft brewer advocacy group, sales of IPAs increased by nearly 50 percent last year. Craft brewers in general saw 18 percent growth in volume through the first half of 2014, according to the organization.
Continued growth is expected, especially as major brewers like Anheuser-Busch InBev get into the craft beer game. The company, which produces more common retail beers like Budweiser and Bud Light, recently inked a deal to buy Oregon craft brewer 10 Barrel Brewing Co., and in early 2014 announced it would buy Blue Point Brewing Co., a small brewery based in Patchogue, N.Y.
The change in Iowa's definition of beer will keep Iowa in line with that growing craft movement.
There was no registered opposition to the bill, though Jim Obradovich, a lobbyist for the Iowa Brewers Guild and Iowa Distillers Alliance, said industry organizations were keeping an eye on it. He said he didn't expect the change to have a major effect on his clients.
The bill now moves to the Senate. If it's approved, local favorite Des Moines IPA from Confluence Brewing Co. will — legally — be a Des Moines beer in every sense of the word.
Some types of beer, at a glance
Stout: Typically a strong, dark beer with a deep, roasted taste
Iowa example: Back Road Stout, Millstream Brewing Company, 6.7 percent alcohol by volume (ABV)
Pilsner: A lighter beer with mild or moderate bitter hops
Iowa example: Honey Pilsner, Madhouse Brewing Company, 5 percent ABV
Lager: A light, clean-tasting beer
Iowa example: Dorothy's New World Lager, Toppling Goliath Brewing Company, 5.5 percent ABV
IPA: Crisp and hoppy
Iowa example: Des Moines IPA, Confluence Brewing Company, 6.9 percent ABV
Porter: A darker beer with hoppy and caramel flavors
Iowa example: Rye Porter, Peace Tree Brewing Company, 6 percent ABV
