Underage Drinking   

The beer industry has often been blamed for encouraging teenagers to drink alcoholic beverages.  This is an unfair accusation - we do not want our products to be sold to everyone.  Beer, like other alcoholic beverages, must be limited to only those people who can responsibly consume such products.

We recognize that beer is a product meant for adults.  Teenagers cannot responsibly handle alcohol consumption.  Therefore, Great Western sponsors a number of programs designed to prevent underage drinking. 

Many of our brewer partners help in producing materials and training to stop underage drinking.  For example, Coors Brewing Company has included on most of their promotional materials as well as many commercials the message: "21 means 21". 

We do not sell directly to the public - we can only encourage our customers, the retailers, to follow state law.  Hopefully, by working together with retailers to make sure they ID underage drinkers and by reinforcing the message that our community is more important than profits, Great Western can help stop underage drinking. 

Improvements in reducing the prevalence of underage drinking can be seen by clicking here.

Drinking & Driving 

Since the 1980s, the issue of drinking and driving has moved into national prominence.  Great Western and its suppliers recognize that not all people will consume alcohol responsibly. 

Improvements in the rates of drunk driving have occurred through greater awareness as well as tougher laws.  For more information about improvement in drunk driving statistics, click here.

Hopefully, the message will get through to everyone that drinking and driving do not mix.  Until that day, Great Western will continue to train its employees, its customers, and the community not to abuse the responsibility to drive safely.