Grocers, liquor stores slug it out

A month into the biggest change in liquor laws that Colorado has seen since the end of Prohibition, retailers and craft brewers still are trying to sort out what it all means.

Legislation that was passed in 2016 and took effect Jan. 1 allowed grocery and convenience stores across the state to sell full-strength beer for the first time, repealing their 3.2 percent alcohol requirement for beer sales.

Proponents argued the change would mean more convenience for shoppers and would bring Colorado in line with many other states, while opponents predicted peril for the small, low-margin “mom and pop” liquor retailers that…