HB1173

House Bill 1173 amends the Arkansas Code to revise the statutory definition of "beer" and related alcoholic beverages. The bill increases the maximum allowable alcohol content for products legally classified as "beer" from 5% to 14% by weight. It further updates various sections of the state code to include "malt beverages" within this expanded definition of beer. These changes apply to multiple areas of regulation, including manufacturing standards, permit requirements for premises, local option elections, and taxation. The primary purpose is to update state law to align with modern brewing industry standards regarding alcoholic content levels.