I Like Drinking with Minors
The topic of underage drinking comes up a lot when you work within the beer industry. It’s a topic that we take seriously. Late teens, early 20-somethings trying to sneak a beer can ruin the fun for the adults, especially when alcohol licenses are involved. And it’s not these young adults in search of a buzz that I’m talking about today. I’m talking about the kids, and how we’re setting them up for a future in a world where alcoholic beverages will be available to them.
In the past, I’ve joked about the idea of kids drinking. The thought of it is funny, but let’s be honest, I don’t think any craft beer fans would ever seriously consider it (maybe when someone doesn’t get a nap, maybe). The truth is that one day, someone will offer them a beer. How will they be prepared for that?
From a personal standpoint, my daughter Kaleigh joins me to many types of events. She’s been known to accompany dad to pint nights, festivals, and even on visits to breweries. I usually mix in a little ice cream or a trip to the park so that it’s not all about dad, but basically, she’s my wingman.
The reason I like to bring her with me on these trips is to provide a different perspective on drinking. If left to the mass media, her association with beer would be wild parties. How often does someone casually enjoy a beer in a movie or TV show? Wine? Scotch? Martinis? Sure, but beer is for keggers and debauchery.
With dad, she sees someone she looks up to behaving in a civilized manner. She sees my friends acting the same way. She witnesses an appreciation for beer.
(Note: I do take care to make sure the atmosphere is one that is appropriate for a child. Typically nothing after 8pm, and if there are people getting excessively drunk, it’s time to go home.)
As she gets older, the introduction to small amounts of beer will occur, much like European households view wine. But that’s a topic for another day.
Is it ok to bring kids to pubs? Will an exposure to a more casual style of drinking beer encourage them to respect the beverage? Should I be thrown in jail for taking my child to events like these? I’d love to hear the opinions of those of you out there.
11 Comments to “I Like Drinking with Minors”
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I like beer
Here’s a recent blog post + 39 comments about kids in bars.
The recent blog post that Bill refers to was actually a 2 parter. You can find the second part here.
It seems like a good idea to me. Should I ever have a larvae, I want to employ some sort of sane youthful drinking education. The only fear I have is when I have a few pints at a bar I tend to let go verbally, so if you see me or someone like me, employ ear muffs, haha.
@Riot I tell people, it’s my decision to bring her to a pub. If she hears an F-bomb or two, it’s my responsibility to remove her from the pub. Not that I have a very clean mouth as it is (product of a carpenter’s household).
Mario,
I think you’re right on the mark when you say that beer is (unfortunately) portrayed in mass media as a party drink and I commend you for providing an alternative (more appropriate) example for your children of how this adult beverage can–and should–be enjoyed.
I also like that you’re willing to accept responsibility for bringing your daughter to such places. Not all bars/pubs/beer drinking events are equal and there are certainly places that would be great to bring a youngster!
That said, when she goes away to college will all of this time with you learning the finer points of responsible consumption save her from a miserable night spent hugging the porcelain throne because of too many beast-lite keg stands? Only time will tell!
-Prost
D.Lux
P.S. These pictures are precious!
You are absolutely on the right track. The Abstinence-style of alcohol education in this country is not working. Teaching kids about alcohol BEFORE they start drinking is what we need to be doing.
I agree with your ideas. I drank with my dad before I started going to the pub with the lads. My group of friends were pretty sensible when we went out drinking. We all seemed to have been introduced to it by our parents and new what it could do. We were all ale drinkers. The kids who had never sampled alcohol before at home or just had never been introduced to it were always way out of control, out of order and a nuisance. They usually were the ones puking up outside the pub or passed out being dragged out!
However, the UK age limit is 18. We are allowed to drink younger yet after dark the UK has a disgusting social drinking scene. The licensing laws during the war may have influenced this. “Drink as many as you can before they chuck us out” culture has been around for years.
The big beer companies do not do anything to help this attitude!
I live in Canada now. Companies like Molson, Budweiser, Labbats etc should be ashamed of themselves!
I with ya. My daughter is six, and in addition to regular beer get togethers with friends, she has been to Kulminator, In de Wildeman, Bruges Beertje, Gollem, T’ij, In de Vrede, Westmalle cafe, Schlenkerla, Spezial Keller, half a dozen Bavarian beer gardens, Sierra Nevada, Novare Res, Ebenezer Keezar’s, Ginger Man, Blind Tiger, 4th Avenue Pub, World of Beer, Oldsmar Taphouse, Magnolia Brew Pub, Belgium Comes to Cooperstown, Pacific Standard, Sacramento Brewing Company, North Coast Pub, Captain Lawrence Brewery, and many, many more. Her favorites are Pacific Standard because they have a pinball machine and 4th Avenue Pub because they have free popcorn. She also likes Blind Tiger because there is a place across the street that has awesome chocolate cupcakes. They only place she has been refused entry has been Toronado.
@D.Lux Those unfortunate nights have been a part of all of our lives, and craft beer doesn’t prevent them from happening. Hopefully though, they will be few and far between.
We can only do so much as parents to save our children from themselves. At some point it is still completely up to them as to how they act.
Thanks for the comments everyone. Keep them coming.
I can remember my first exposure to alcohol was back when I was six. My father used to make wine and beer at home. It was time to bottle wine and so we were back on the back patio. He would fill the bottle and I would cork it. Was pretty hard for a six year old to handle a floor corker, but I did.
He also let me try a VERY small amount of the wine too, just to see what it was all about.
I think this exposure from such an early age helped to develop a respect for the beverage, which many of my high school mates certainly didn’t have, and to this date I really don’t care for domestic lagers.