Will a new law kick the keg?

Call it a half barrel. Call it 1,984 ounces of frosty libations. Or call it a keg. It's a staple of the college party. \nBut could its days be numbered?\nAt IU, the keg has always been a target of deans and police. Now, it's a target of the state legislature.\nKeg registration, already in effect in about 20 states, goes into effect here July 1.\nHere's how it works: Each keg will be tracked by a marker that contains a keg number, the name of the clerk who sold it and the name, address, date of birth and signature of the purchaser.\nIf the keg is used to serve minors, it could be tracked back to the buyer, who would be held responsible. If convicted, offenders who supply minors with alcohol face up to a $500 fine and 60-day jail sentence.\nSpecifically, the keg-tracking law targets college students over 21 who buy alcohol for younger friends or for parties where minors are served.\nIndiana's colleges worked together to support the bill and helped show the state's alcohol lobby that tracking will reduce underage drinking, said Dee Owens, the director of IU's Alcohol and Drug Informa-tion Center.\n"It's up to us to stop the supply of alcohol to young people and quit blaming them for drinking," Owens said.\nBut will the law bring down sales of kegs?\nAt Town Hall Liquors in College Park, Md., keg tracking approved in the mid-nineties hasn't hurt keg sales, according to the store's manager. College Park is home to the University of Maryland. \nBloomington liquor stores don't foresee a drop in sales either.\n"People who buy for underage people don't think ahead too much anyway," said John, a clerk at Bloomington Liquors.\nBulk keg sales are already down at the 2205 N. Walnut St. store, but overall sales remain steady, he said. One fraternity used to buy 30 kegs at a time, but now the most sold at once is about 10.\nAt Big Red Liquors, which has eight Bloomington locations, the long-term trend is toward more sales of cases, rather than kegs, said Big Red President Mark McAlister.\nAlthough keg tracking will require more record keeping, McAlister said his company is happy to comply to help ensure its kegs don't serve minors.\nIU Police Department Lt. Jerry Minger said it's hard to predict how the new law will affect alcohol consumption, but it's another way to track people who are responsible for alcohol that results in illegal or dangerous activity.\n"Anything that can be put as an obstacle in the path of people who do that is a good thing," Minger said.\nBut are the kegs' days numbered?\nProbably not.