The Univ. of Texas' "first year offering alcoholic beverages at Longhorn football games" produced more than $1.8M in sales, with more than half of that coming "from sales of light beer," according to a front-page piece by Benjamin Wermund of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. The school sold 62,275 Miller Lites -- the "top-selling beer at the stadium, totaling $494,000 alone." Miller was the "second-highest sold item at stadium concessions, behind only bottled water." Coors Light, the "third-highest selling product, and Bud Light, the sixth-highest, brought in $433,290 and $182,828, respectively." Sales of wine and hard liquor "were far lower." Alcohol accounted "for more than half" of the $3.7M in food and drinks sold at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/7). UT Chief Communications Officer Kevin Mortesen in an email wrote that after concessionaire and other expenses, the school "netted $812,798" from alchohol sales. In Austin, Ralph Haurwitz notes of the $3.7M total brought in, $1.5M -- including the alcohol portion -- was a "profit for the university." The figures "don’t include sales in the stadium’s clubs and suites, where fans have long been able to drink alcoholic beverages" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 1/7).
