Nebraska2026Did Not Pass
LB1004
Changes to Laws About Nonalcoholic Beer and Near Beer
Last scannedAug 25, 2026, 3:18 AM
In one sentence
This bill changes how Nebraska law defines beer, nonalcoholic beer, and near beer while adding rules about selling these drinks to minors.
What it does
- Redefines alcoholic liquor to include candy with more than half of one percent alcohol by volume.
- Removes the word 'near beer' from the legal definition of regular beer.
- Creates a new rule that says nonalcoholic beer means beer with less than half of one percent alcohol by volume.
- Makes it illegal for anyone to sell or give nonalcoholic beer to minors.
- Requires near beer to follow most rules in the Nebraska Liquor Control Act, except tax laws.
Who it affects
- People who make, distribute, buy, or sell beer and near beer
- Minors under the legal drinking age
- Businesses that sell candy containing alcohol
Limits and unknowns
- This bill was indefinitely postponed, so it did not become a final law.
- The text does not explain how the new definitions change taxes on these products beyond excluding near beer from tax provisions.
- The effective date is unknown because the bill did not pass.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Nonalcoholic beer
- Beer with less than half of one percent alcohol by volume.
- Near beer
- A term used in the bill to describe beer containing less than half of one percent alcohol by volume.
- Nebraska Liquor Control Act
- The state law that sets rules for making and selling alcoholic drinks.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
Change the regulation of nonalcoholic beer under the Nebraska Liquor Control Act
Official activity
Bill history
- Indefinitely postponed