Hundreds of millions of people in the U.S. will watch at least a few minutes of the Super Bowl. For a huge percentage, the big game is really more about the big party. And that big party will probably include chips and dip, hot wings and a lot of alcohol. 

Booze is such an intrinsic part of the atmosphere that the city of Phoenix and state liquor officials even relaxed some rules regarding consumption around Super Bowl Central and in what’s being called a “pedestrian party zone” in Scottsdale’s entertainment district.

We talked with Christian Madsbjerg, a senior partner at Red Associates, a strategy company that studies cultural changes — including alcohol’s place in the U.S.