Your Fate And .08
While 1999 might be the year with all the nines in it to most people, probably the biggest number for Washington beer enthusiasts this year is an eight.
As anyone who’s been paying attention knows by now, the legal limit for driving intoxicated has dropped from .10 percent alcohol in the bloodstream to .08 percent. That’s part of new state drunk-driving laws that are being touted as the toughest in the nation.
So what does it mean for you? How much beer can you drink before reaching the new magic number?
No one can tell you that. There’s no way of knowing for sure, until it’s too late - if you actually get pulled over and end up blowing into a breathalyzer.
While there are some general guidelines, blood alcohol is affected by a whole host of factors, including weight, gender, your individual tolerance for alcohol and how much food you’ve eaten (which slows alcohol absorption into the bloodstream).
What you’re drinking also matters, which is where things get tricky for the craft-brew crowd.
When the state Liquor Control Board talks about “one drink,” for beer, it means 12 ounces at 4 percent alcohol by volume. That’s a bit low to begin with; Budweiser, for example, checks in at about 4.5 percent. Most microbrews are in the 5 percent to 6 percent range, with some - including many of those winter seasonal specialties we’ve been quaffing lately - even higher than that.
And microbrews typically are served in pint glasses in pubs (although actually getting a full 16 ounces at some places is another story). A pint of beer that’s 6 percent alcohol by volume works out to two drinks on the liquor board’s blood-alcohol charts.
That’s enough, in one hour, to put a 120-pound woman at .08, according to the charts. Two pints (four drinks) in an hour, the tables say, and men up to 200 pounds join the club.
You probably couldn’t tell by looking at them. While drunks get sloppy at .10, there may be few visible signs of intoxication - staggering, slurred speech - at .08, says Jennifer McDougall, alcohol awareness program manager for the liquor board.
But a breathalyzer test wouldn’t be fooled. In California, where .08 has been in effect for a few years, some pubs have in-house breathalyzers. You put in a quarter, unwrap a sanitary straw, blow in and get your reading.
Steve Samuelson, head brewer at the Ram and C.I. Shenanigan’s, remembers doing that at a Sacramento brewpub after drinking two pints - along with lunch - in about 90 minutes. He and his friends were all over the limit.
Samuelson would like to see similar machines in Spokane pubs. “I think it would surprise a lot of people,” he says.
But while there have been plenty of calls from tavern owners interested in breathalyzers, McDougall says, the liquor board doesn’t recommend that. Among other things, the machines can be misused, she says, and may give faulty readings if not maintained properly.
Besides, getting too hung up on any particular number - whether it’s .10 or .08 - can give a false sense of security. Studies show that reactions start slowing significantly at around .04. The risk of getting into an accident doubles at .06.
“Impairment begins with your first drink,” McDougall says. “At any blood alcohol level, there’s some impact on your ability to drive.”
And under the law, while you’re presumed to be intoxicated at .08, you can be arrested for driving under the influence at any level if an officer sees evidence that your abilities are affected. While that may be more likely to result in lesser charges, it’s still not something you want on your record.
Washington State Patrol Trooper Nick Gerard says he recently arrested one driver who tested at .05, and another at .04.
“If you watched them do their field sobriety tests, Holy Moses, you wouldn’t want them anywhere near a car,” Gerard says. “They just couldn’t handle their alcohol.”
Another catch for those of us who prefer quality beer is that it tastes better fresh, on draft, than in bottles. But getting to a tap typically means driving, unless you’re lucky enough to live within walking distance of a tavern - like Tom Capone, who’s only a few blocks away from his Capone’s Sports Pub in Coeur d’Alene.
Since Idaho instituted a .08 standard in mid-1997, both Capone and his customers have become more careful.
“What we’re seeing is a lot more designated drivers - a lot more,” he says. And when he goes out on the town himself, Capone adds, he takes a cab rather than risking it. “I don’t drive,” he says. “It’s not worth it.”
If you decide to take the risk, at least try to pace yourself. For most people, particularly women, more than a pint an hour is pushing it. And be sure to put some food in your stomach, too, preferably something with some fat in it.
Whatever you do, if you feel like you might be too tipsy to drive, don’t. Regardless of your reading on the blood-alcohol charts, your number just might come up - and you could take some innocent people along with you.
(Copies of the Liquor Control Board’s Blood Alcohol Concentration Guide are available at board offices, at state liquor stores and from the Washington State Patrol.)
Hopping around
The first year-round lagers from C.I. Shenanigan’s are due out this week: a Pilsner that’s a little maltier and a little less hoppy than the one brewed at the Ram this summer, and an amber Marzen that’s a little lighter than the typical Oktoberfest lager. Look for the new beers at both C.I.’s and the Ram, which are owned by the same company; plans call for brewing the more time-consuming lagers at Shenanigan’s and ales at the Ram, and trading back and forth.
In North Idaho, the ever-popular Blonde Logger Pilsner and Treaty Rock Bock return to the rotating lineup at Casey’s Pub in Post Falls around the end of the month. And Pend Oreille Brewing’s first-ever barley wine, a big, dark, dry-hopped ale, is scheduled for release in Sandpoint by early February.
Finally, the five-liter (yes, liter) Michelob can Anheuser-Busch put out for the holidays has won a grand award for design from the National Metal Decorators Association. Imagine what one of those would do to your blood alcohol.