The substitute bill, which was expected to be introduced Wednesday, would boost the cap on retail beer from 3.2 percent to 4 percent by weight, said Kate Bradshaw, director of the Responsible Beer Choice Coalition.
That is less than the 4.8 percent that sponsor, Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, had originally proposed, but it is a level that could win approval in the House.
If the compromise measure passes and is signed into law, Utah’s alcohol limit for grocery store beer still would rank among the nation’s strictest.
The proposal also would create a task force to study whether a further alcohol increase is necessary and its potential effects on underage drinking, drunken driving and suicide.