A short history of drinking in Utah

Utah's alcohol laws make more sense once you know the story: pioneer breweries, a church health code, statewide prohibition, the deciding vote to end national Prohibition, and a century of compromises since. Here it is, year by year.

1. 1825

   The mountain men's rendezvous

   Fur trappers gather near the Green River for the first rendezvous, a summer-long trading fair with plenty of “medicine water.” An 1834 account has alcohol selling for four dollars a pint.

2. 1833

   The Word of Wisdom

   Joseph Smith records the Word of Wisdom, a health code for Latter-day Saints that says “strong drinks are not for the belly”. It's published as section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants in 1835.

3. 1847

   Pioneers arrive, and start brewing

   Latter-day Saint pioneers reach the Salt Lake Valley. Partly because of bad water, they start brewing beer almost as soon as they arrive, and distill alcohol for medicine.

4. 1856

   Utah's first documented brewery

   Orrin Porter Rockwell, bodyguard to Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, is credited with the first documented brewery in Utah, at the Hot Springs Hotel.

5. 1861

   Mark Twain meets Valley Tan

   Twain passes through and later writes about Valley Tan, a local whiskey “of Mormon invention and manufactured only in Utah”.

6. 1864

   The first commercial brewery

   German immigrant Henry Wagener opens Utah's first commercial brewery, on land that's now Hogle Zoo.

7. 1869

   Thirty-seven distilleries

   When federal tax collection begins, collectors count 37 distilleries in Utah.

8. 1875

   The Wine Mission

   Brigham Young sends John C. Naile to Toquerville to grow grapes and make wine. “Pure Dixie Port Wine” is sold in Salt Lake City for medicinal use; at its peak the winery makes 3,000 gallons a year.

9. 1908

   Six hundred saloons

   Utah has about 600 saloons as the Anti-Saloon League pushes for prohibition. The 1909 legislature narrowly says no.

10. 1917

    Utah goes dry

    Gov. Simon Bamberger signs statewide prohibition, making Utah the 23rd state to go dry, ahead of national Prohibition.

11. 1921

    Abstinence becomes church policy

    Under Heber J. Grant, complete abstinence becomes church law for Latter-day Saints.

12. 1933

    The deciding vote

    Utah ratifies the 21st Amendment, becoming the 36th state, and the deciding vote, to end national Prohibition.

13. 1935

    The state opens its liquor stores

    The legislature creates the liquor control department and chooses state control over private sales. The first state stores open in Salt Lake City and Ogden and take in $54,866 in their first 15 days.

14. 1940s–60s

    Brown bagging

    No liquor by the drink. Diners bring their own bottle, often still in the bag, and restaurants sell “set-ups” of ice and mixers. Private club members keep bottles in lockers.

15. 1947

    The newspaper war

    The Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News battle over loosening liquor laws in print. The change fails by one vote.

16. 1969

    Mini bottles

    Bars start pouring from 1.75-ounce “mini bottles” instead of customers bringing their own.

17. 1990

    Metered pours

    The legislature requires metered dispensers, caps cocktails at one ounce of liquor, and outlaws mini bottles except in hotels and on airplanes.

18. 2002

    The Olympics

    During the Salt Lake Winter Games, the state relaxes enforcement after complaints from an International Olympic Committee official.

19. 2006

    Whiskey is back

    High West in Park City gets its permit, becoming Utah's first legal whiskey distillery since 1870.

20. 2008

    The 1.5-ounce pour

    The pour rises to 1.5 ounces of a “primary” liquor, with up to 2.5 ounces total.

21. 2009

    No more memberships; homebrewing legal

    Bars no longer have to charge a membership fee, ending the private-club era, and homebrewing becomes legal.

22. 2011

    Happy hour ends

    A liquor law revision prohibits happy hours and other drink discounts, and bans minikegs and ties license numbers to population.

23. 2013

    Drinks before dinner

    After restaurants are fined for serving drinks before diners ordered food, lawmakers drop that rule. Diners still have to intend to eat.

24. 2017

    The Zion curtain comes down

    A sweeping liquor bill lets restaurants swap the drink-mixing partition for a 10-foot buffer, and raises the state markup to 88%.

25. 2018

    .05

    On December 30, Utah becomes the first state to lower its DUI limit to .05.

26. 2019

    Goodbye, 3.2 beer

    Grocery-store beer goes from 3.2% to 4% by weight (5% by volume), on shelves that November.

27. 2022

    Control becomes Services

    The DABC becomes the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services, dropping “Control” from its name.

28. 2024

    Canned cocktails, no Everclear

    Bars can sell canned cocktails; state stores stop selling anything over 80% alcohol and frozen alcohol pops; the markup goes to 88.5%.

29. 2025

    Store number 52

    On October 1, DABS opens its 52nd operating state liquor store, in Marriott-Slaterville near Ogden.

30. 2026

    The ID year

    A new law requires ID checks for every alcohol purchase from January 1, and the legislature scales it back in March. Utah IDs for people barred from buying start saying “NO ALCOHOL SALE,” and in May foreign driver licenses become acceptable ID.

For where all of this leaves things today, see the myths & quirks and how buying works.