Everclear forum in Iowa City Thursday

The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Commission will hold a public forum in Iowa City Thursday afternoon to gather input on Everclear and other high alcohol content liquors sold in the state. It's the second such forum the commission has held this year, part of a discussion of a possible ban or tightened restrictions on highly concentrated liquors.

The forum will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in room 337 of the Iowa Memorial Union on the University of Iowa campus. The commission will hold a meeting in addition to the public forum, and the body is expected to draft final recommendations on highly concentrated alcohol, according to the Iowa ABD Web site. The commission also is gathering public input on its Web site.

Everclear, a 151-proof spirit, ranked 83rd on the state's "Hot 100" list of most-sold alcohol, as of December 2009.

Iowa officials began discussing a possible ban or restrictions on the sale of Everclear and similar liquors after a Drake University student last year was hospitalized after drinking Everclear in what officials said was a fraternity hazing incident.