New Hampshire enacts new keg law

Modern Brewery Age, Jan 8, 2001

AP--A new law regulating the sale of beer kegs shouldn't put a damper on too many University of New Hampshire parties, school officials said. The law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, will create a paper trail on the sale of all beer kegs. The change is intended to help police track who is responsible in cases of underage drinking.

But kegs have been barred from campus and university fraternities and sororities for at least ten years, said Steve Pappajohn, the university's coordinator of Greek affairs. "It's really a non-issue for us," he said.

Students still can buy kegs for off-campus parties, but the town's two shops that sell then have voluntarily kept a log for three years. Campus Convenience, for example, records the name, address, telephone number and date of birth of all people buying kegs, said store manager Peter Danna.

"Once it gets in their possession, they do what they want with it," he said. "College kids will be college kids forever."

The new law requires kegs to be labeled with the name of the purchaser. Defacing the label brings a $1,000 fine. If the beer is provided to minors, the purchaser can be fined up to $2,000 and face criminal charges.

Despite the paper trail already maintained by local retailers, Durham Assistant Police Chief Rene Kelly said the department supports the new law. The records will allow police investigators to trace responsibility at large parties.

T.J. Paton, a sophomore at the university, didn't think much of the new law. "I don't think it's going to change that much," he said. "You can just get a 30-pack instead of a keg."

Kelly acknowledged that is likely to happen, but said he is optimistic the new law will help.