Sparti Parti and Bud Light: What to know about alcohol sales at Spartan Stadium

Mike Ellis, Lansing State Journal
Updated ·3 min read

Correction: Sparti Parti is a New England IPA from Big Lake Brewing, based in Holland on the west side of the state. This information was incorrect in an earlier version of this story.

EAST LANSING — Michigan State University football fans attending the game that will be broadcast live on Peacock can drink alcohol, legally, inside Spartan Stadium starting Saturday.

There will be eight kinds of beer and seltzer sold for the first time as the Spartans take the field against 8th-ranked Washington.

Saturday's matchup against the University of Washington will be the first of four games this year expected to feature alcohol sales in the stadium since state laws changed this summer, allowing for the sales. The others are Sept. 23 against Maryland, Oct. 21 against Michigan and Nov. 4 against Nebraska, according to a university resolution.

The university did not seek permits for the first two home games, believing that the July change didn't leave enough time to get state permits in place.

Marlon Lynch, vice president and chief safety officer for MSU, told the Legislature in June that other Big Ten universities with in-stadium alcohol sales have not seen increases in alcohol-related incidents nor the need for increased police staffing. He attributed that to a decrease in binge-drinking by tailgaters and others outside stadiums before games, since adult attendees know alcohol will be available inside the stadium.

If you are going to the game and want a drink, or two, here's what you need to know:

Growing number of Big Ten schools selling alcohol

Ten of MSU's Big Ten counterparts have already started to sell alcohol in their stadiums. Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Northwestern still don't allow sales or only offer boozy beverages in high-dollar suites, the State Journal reported earlier this summer. People using Spartan Stadium suites have been allowed to buy and consume alcohol because the facility isn't connected to Spartan Stadium.

Do I need my ID?

Tailgaters play games Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, before the season opener at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing against Western Michigan.
Tailgaters play games Friday, Sept. 2, 2022, before the season opener at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing against Western Michigan.

University officials claid out some ground rules:

  • IDs are required for every purchase. Fake IDs will be seized and students with fakes could face discipline, officials said.

  • Alcohol won't be part of the concession delivery system, and there will be no sales in the seating areas. It will be sold at what the school said are fixed-location carts in various spots.

  • There's a limit of two alcoholic beverages per transaction and if you're holding an alcoholic beverage, you can only buy one.

  • Sales start an hour before kickoff time and stop with 10 minutes left in the third quarter

Bud Light, Bell's Oberon and a vodka seltzer

Michigan State fans Matt Wilson and JP Tongson play cornhole while tailgating. Tongson is part of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, but, apart from his white coat ceremony, this is his first time in East Lansing. He was glad to experience the atmosphere on game day.
Michigan State fans Matt Wilson and JP Tongson play cornhole while tailgating. Tongson is part of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, but, apart from his white coat ceremony, this is his first time in East Lansing. He was glad to experience the atmosphere on game day.

The eight offerings, which include a vodka-based seltzer, will all be sold in cans. The lineup includes:

  • Coors Light

  • Bud Light

  • Sparti Parti, a New England IPA from Big Lake Brewing, based in Holland on the west side of the state.

  • Bell's Oberon, the popular Michigan-brewed wheat ale

  • Shorts Local's Light, an American light lager from the Bellaire, Michigan-based brewer

  • Founders All Day, an IPA from the Grand Rapids brewer

  • North Peak Sparta, "a deliciously bold and balanced" IPA from Traverse City's North Peak Brewing Company

  • NUTRL, a vodka-based seltzer from Anheuser-Busch

Where in Spartan Stadium can I buy alcohol?

Three locations will have the full slate of drinks available, near Gate K, Gate H and on the concourse mid-field on the visitor's side. Seven other carts throughout the stadium will have the "core four," or four kinds of beer available, Bud Light, Coors Light, Sparti Parti and Bell's Oberon.

How much do drinks cost?

  • The new brews won't be cheap: Expect a typical stadium premium price with domestic beers and seltzers at $10 and Michigan or craft beers at $12 a can.

  • Comerica Park has one of the most expensive beer prices in the nation, tied for second place at 69 cents an ounce, according to a USA Today study earlier this year. That would translate to $11 for a 16-ounce beer, smack in the middle of the Spartan Stadium price of $10 or $12 a can.

Contact Mike Ellis at mellis@lsj.com or 517-267-0415

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Spartan Stadium alcohol sales begin Saturday: What to know