Stinson's of Hanover may discontinue beer kegs sales after receiving a citation for violating a keg registration law that will likely leave the store facing a 5-10 day suspension of its liquor license and a $500 fine.
Stinson's is presently one of the only stores in the area that sells kegs, and is the number one keg seller in New Hampshire.
The violation comes in the wake of a new law, adopted in Jan. 2001, which stipulates that every keg sold must bear a sticker containing information about the purchaser and the vendor who sells the keg.
According to New Hampshire's Chief Liquor Inspector Adrian Moore, the purpose of the law is to help deter individuals from illegally purchasing kegs for underage drinkers.
"It gives law enforcement the opportunity to trace back any consumption by an underage person," Moore said.
On the night of Jan. 11, a Friday night, Stinson's sold a keg to a Lebanon resident around 7:30 p.m. Later that night in Etna, underage people were found with kegs and a tap that was numbered and belonged to Stinson's.
When state inspector Nicolas Houhoulis came to the store to investigate that sale, he found the sticker belonging to a keg sold earlier that evening to a Dartmouth student in the back of the store.
"We had filled out the sticker and signed it, but the customer was in a hurry and drove away before we put the sticker on the keg," Stinson said. "It was a mistake. There is no excuse, but we weren't trying to break the law."
The store received a warning for failing to place a sticker on the keg sold to the Dartmouth student, and state liquor officials recommended that the store be issued a five-day suspension that would prevent it from selling alcohol in addition to a $500 fine.
Cameras have since been installed at Stinson's to monitor the cash register and the front of the store. Stickers will now be placed on the kegs in view of the cameras, so that the store can prove they fulfilled their obligation.
"We have to absolutely adhere to the law and create a failsafe system," Stinson said. "From now on, an employee will be terminated immediately if they don't follow the rules."
The amount of restrictions involved in the sale of kegs and the harsh penalties for violations cause Stinson to wonder whether it is worthwhile to continue selling them.
"Like lots of local stores, we have gotten hit for selling alcohol inadvertently to underage persons, but we have never lost our license over it, and this is a first offense," Stinson said. "Next time it wouldn't be a $500 fine, it would be $5000. I can't afford that."
Stinson's is not the only store that has thought of backing out of keg sales.
"We have seen the sale of keg beer drop off substantially statewide," Moore said.
The action against Stinson's is set to go before the Liquor Commission on Feb. 21.
