The head of Left Hand Brewing fears he will have to fire workers if Colorado lawmakers pass a bill to ban "3.2 beer" and allow the likes of Safeway and King Soopers to sell full-strength beer at stores statewide.

Left Hand President Eric Wallace argued the measure would close hundreds of the liquor stores here that carry a wide variety of brews from Left Hand and other microbreweries. Left Hand's sales would sink, he said.

"The bill will create a beer monopoly that won't make things more convenient for shoppers," Wallace said at a hastily convened news conference of craft beer makers held at Great Divide Brewing Co. in Denver.

Large grocery store chains, he warned, will opt to sell more widely sold brands rather than beers from the likes of Left Hand and other microbreweries.

"It will reduce the selection of beer on the shelf, especially craft beers like ours, and it will raise prices. Consumers will be losers, not winners."

Some 15 Colorado craft brewers launched a media blitz Wednesday to defeat the bill, HB-1192.

The legislation - which lawmakers are set to take up next week - would let grocery chains and convenience stores such as 7-Eleven sell full-strength beer.

Currently, they can sell only a lower strength beer with a 3.2 percent alcohol content by weight.

The store operators say the 3.2 law produces an uneven playing field favoring liquor stores.

They add that their Sunday sales of 3.2 beer tanked starting last summer. That's when state lawmakers allowed liquor stores to open on Sundays and sell full-strength beer - in addition to liquor and wine.

Before that on Sundays, consumers could buy only 3.2 beer at grocery and convenience stores.

Sean Duffy, spokesman for the Rocky Mountain Food Industry Council - a coalition of convenience stores and grocery stores favoring HB-1192 - predicted grocers would stock a wide selection of craft beers.

He pointed to the one Safeway store in Colorado, in Littleton, that's authorized to hold a liquor license to sell regular beer, in addition to wine and liquor.

"They should take a look at the wall of beer, including many craft beers, at the Littleton Safeway liquor store," said Duffy. "Why the craft brewers are willing to turn down hundreds of new outlets for their products is a mystery."

But that doesn't reassure Wallace. A call to the Littleton Safeway showed that it doesn't sell Left Hand beers.

"It's just indicative of why this scares us," Wallace said.

CRAFT BEER AVAILABILITY

Colorado law lets retailers such as Safeway sell regular beer, liquor and wine at just one outlet in the state. We asked two such retailers if they sell beer from Great Divide and Left Hand. We also asked a liquor store.

* SuperTarget, Glendale: three types of Great Divide six-packs and a 12-pack sampler; no Left Hand.

* Safeway, Littleton: two types of Great Divide six-packs; no Left Hand.

* Coconuts, Evergreen: Five types of six-packs from Great Divide and Left Hand.