Colorado grocery stores do sell liquor, but with a sharp catch: beer and wine are available at nearly any grocery or convenience store with the right license, while distilled spirits like whiskey and vodka are stocked at only a handful of grocery locations statewide. The reason is a license cap that limits any single company to eight full-liquor grocery stores in all of Colorado, so for most shoppers a bottle of bourbon still means a trip to a standalone liquor store.
Beer and Wine Are Widely Available
Full-strength beer arrived on grocery shelves on January 1, 2019, when Senate Bill 16-197 lifted the old 3.2% alcohol-by-weight cap that had kept grocery stores selling watered-down “three-two” beer.1Colorado General Assembly. SB16-197 Liquor-licensed Drugstores Multiple Licenses Wine followed on March 1, 2023, after voters passed Proposition 125 the previous November. That measure created a combined fermented malt beverage and wine retailer license and automatically converted existing grocery beer licenses to the new one.
To hold that license, a store has to earn at least 20% of its gross annual revenue from food sales, with fuel, tobacco, and lottery purchases excluded from the calculation.2Justia Law. Colorado Code 44-4-107 – Fermented Malt Beverage and Wine Retailer License That threshold is easy for a supermarket to clear and harder for a gas station, which is why selection varies.
Why Spirits Are Rare at the Grocery Store
Hard liquor requires a different license entirely, the liquor-licensed drugstore (LLDS) license under C.R.S. ยง 44-3-410. It allows the full range of sealed alcohol, including spirits. Two limits keep LLDS stores uncommon. A single entity can hold no more than eight LLDS licenses in all of Colorado. And as of April 10, 2025, the state stopped issuing new LLDS licenses altogether.3Colorado Department of Revenue. Colorado Liquor Code – Article 3, Title 44
The practical result is uneven. One King Soopers may have a full liquor aisle while another location a few miles away stocks only beer and wine. The chain spent its allotment of LLDS licenses on specific stores and cannot add more. If a grocery store near you does not carry spirits today, that is not going to change.
When You Can Buy Alcohol
Off-premises alcohol sales in Colorado run from 8:00 a.m. to midnight, every day of the week.4Justia Law. Colorado Code 44-3-901 – Unlawful Acts – Exceptions – Definitions The window covers beer, wine, and spirits in sealed containers. A 24-hour grocery store has to block off its alcohol section during the overnight gap, and most registers are programmed to reject alcohol scans outside the legal hours.
Colorado does not add Sunday restrictions or holiday closures. If the store is open and the clock sits between 8:00 a.m. and midnight, you can buy.
Self-Checkout Does Not Work for Alcohol
If you have beer or wine in your cart, you cannot ring yourself up. State law requires an employee of the licensed retailer to assist with and complete the entire transaction for any fermented malt beverage or wine purchase.2Justia Law. Colorado Code 44-4-107 – Fermented Malt Beverage and Wine Retailer License Scanning your own ID at the kiosk is not enough. Use a staffed lane, or wait for a worker to step over and process the alcohol portion of your order.
Age and ID at the Register
You must be 21 to buy alcohol in Colorado, and the cashier will check a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID: driver’s license, state ID, passport, or military ID.
Colorado offers a digital driver’s license through the myColorado app, and executive branch agencies accept it. Private retailers decide for themselves whether to take a digital ID for alcohol, so bring the physical card if you want to be sure the sale goes through.
Grocery Delivery of Beer and Wine
Licensed grocery stores can deliver beer and wine, but only after obtaining a separate delivery permit from the state licensing authority, and from the local authority where one is required.5Legal Information Institute. 1 CCR 203-2, Regulation 47-1101 – Delivery and Takeout Sales by Retail Licensees
Third-party apps are not an option. Colorado prohibits DoorDash, Instacart, and similar services from delivering alcohol. The delivery has to be made by an actual employee of the retailer, who must be at least 21 and must have completed Colorado’s seller-server training. At the door, that employee verifies the recipient is 21 or older and logs the name and ID number. Nobody under 21 can place or receive an alcohol delivery, and the retailer keeps the delivery record for at least 60 days.5Legal Information Institute. 1 CCR 203-2, Regulation 47-1101 – Delivery and Takeout Sales by Retail Licensees