Update: Beer travels: Why is Colorado so strict on carding?

Hey guys. I wrote a blog post (below; original link here) five years ago about excessive carding in Colorado. I’m pretty sure this post got more comments than any others, as it seemed to have ruffled some feathers of folks, especially in the service industry. Since this post, I have traveled much more extensively and have found this issue to be even more true: I almost never get carded in any other state besides Colorado (and considering I’m 43 why would I?)

Some have sited Colorado liquor laws as the cause, but in the research I’ve done they seem pretty similar to other states, with the main point being: servers/the establishment can certainly be punished for serving minors. Of course that is the driving force behind checking id’s. That’s just how it is here in the US. But why is Colorado the one state where middle-aged people such as myself get asked to pull out our license each and every time we drink? Other states seem to have gotten a handle on this without going to extremes.