Smart Talk: Alcohol content of craft beers ; Eminent domain

What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, March 18, 2015:

Craft beers are becoming more popular all the time.  While the overall sales of beer have been level over the last few years, sales of craft beers were up 22% last year.  Craft beers now make up 11% of the beer marketplace.

While so many beer drinkers enjoy the taste and trying new craft brews, they also have to careful about how much they’re drinking.  While most traditional beers range from 4.2 to 5% alcohol by volume for a 12 ounce can or bottle and most craft brews average around 5%, there are some crafts with 9, 10 up to 28% alcohol.

That leaves some wondering how many craft beers they can drink and drive legally and safely or become intoxicated.

Stephen Erni, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania DUI Association appears on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to discuss this new challenge and other issues. 

Also, several natural gas pipeline projects have been proposed that will run through Central Pennsylvania.  Homeowners, especially in Lancaster and Lebanon Counties, have protested saying they don’t want the pipelines going through their properties.  Most of the opposition is for potential environmental problems, the property owners don’t want their yards or land disturbed or torn up, their property values could go down, or the pipelines just don’t look good.

There’s another reason too: some properties may be claimed for the projects through the use of eminent domain.  That’s when private land can be taken from an owner for the public’s good, with the property owner getting a fair price for it.

The Rothman family of Dauphin County are history makers when it comes to eminent domain.  Greg Rothman, of RSR Realtors in Lemoyne and Vice Chairman of the Pennsylvania Real Estate Commission appears on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to explain. Ross Pifer, a Clinical Professor of Law at Penn State Law School also joins us.