It’s a rivalry of seemingly epic proportions – a squad of politicians and concerned citizens against the indomitable rogue known only as underage drinking. But New York state lawmakers have a new card up their sleeve, a weapon designed to bring an end to the ancient battle.

A new piece of legislation, signed into law by Gov. George E. Pataki on July 25, will require beer retailers to attach to beer kegs a special registration tag that will identify the name and address of the retailer and the name of the buyer.

Slated to go into effect in late November, the legislation aims to curb illegal keg sales to minors by placing the responsibility of the keg’s whereabouts on the buyer whose name is printed on the keg or appears on the tag attached to the keg.

In addition, those purchasing the keg must sign a statement saying they understand and will comply with underage drinking laws. The seller must also keep records of each keg sold, including the buyer’s license number and the amount of beer sold.

‘The law puts pressure on drinkers and sellers,’ said Lt.Grant Williams of the Department of Public Safety. ‘Kegs will have to be identified, which gives more control over who’s purchasing the beer.’

According to the 2002 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 64.1 percent of full-time college students drank alcohol compared with 54.3 percent of persons 18 to 22 who were not currently enrolled full-time.

The scene that often confronts Public Safety officers after a particularly rowdy party may become a thing of the past. An abandoned keg and no one leaping to claim responsibility for the alcohol is a potential dead end for officers, Williams said.

‘I don’t know if the law will put a stop to the amount of beer being consumed on campus,’ Williams said.

The new legislation will, however, make every keg traceable, creating an obstacle for underage buyers attempting to get their hands on a keg, he said.

The actual levels of enforcement are still being studied and debated, said Mark Anderson, public information officer for the New York State Liquor Commission.

The law calls for a $75 deposit for each keg, which is refundable upon the keg’s return, and a $250 to $450 fine if the tag is missing or damaged in any way. The owners of businesses that do not complete the registration process properly would be charged with a misdemeanor.

The legislation, while new to New York, has already been implemented in several states, and more states have attempted to pass similar bills into law.

‘Our bill got hung up in the last stages,’ said Montana State Representative Rosalie Buzzas, the main proponent behind the bill in her state. ‘Underage drinking is a huge problem in our state because access to kegs is relatively easy and we have no way to track them.’

Liquor retailers will also benefit from the bill because underage drinkers tend to simply ditch the keg, she said.

Buzzas said she would like to see the bill go even further than the state level, making keg tags a national policy. The easiest way to do this, she said, would be to have keg manufacturers print unique registration numbers on each keg produced.

Jack Schaller, of BLEFA/FRANKE Container systems, a keg manufacturer, said stamping the kegs at the factory would be impossible.

‘There’s no way that we could do that; it’s just not feasible,’ Schaller said, citing the high price associated with having to tag kegs. ‘That can’t be done.’

As far as the implementation went, Schaller thought that it would, in the long run, make sense for kegs to have tags attached at the retail level.

‘If that is what it takes to keep people from buying alcohol for minors, then it is more than fine by me,’ he said.

Published on October 21, 2003 at 12:00 pm