“Beer Runners Gone Bad” is a news headline that immediately caught my attention this morning.  I pictured a bunch of my fellow beer runners accidentally getting tricked into drinking a Bud Light Chelada. Or perhaps a foul odor emanating from the pack after a run at the Run Wild Missoula pint night at Kettlehouse.

No, this story from the Appeal-Democrat in California tells of a disturbing “beer run” trend concentrated in the Southwest U.S.  As the story notes, most of us know the phrase “beer run” to mean a night-time trip to the store to pick up more beer.  Here in Missoula, it’s a popular monthly activity actually involving running and beer that pulls in 70 or more people at a time. 

In Texas, Arizona and New Mexico, however, a beer run has come to mean something of a shoplifting dare where customers walk into a store, grab a carton of beer, and walk out the store without paying.  Why is that news? Well, El Paso police report it happened at least 2,876 times in 2011, a decrease of 17% from 2010.  Authorities in Peoria, AZ, conducted Operation Chug-a-Lug using a federal grant and made 67 arrests for beer runs in less than 2 months.  Who says cops don’t have a sense of humor?

What’s the preferred beer of choice? Bud Light.  At least they’re not stealing the good stuff.

Check out the full story here. It’s a good read.