Family Friendly Drinking

(Image: Brookside Mothers' Assoc.)

I just stumbled across a nice blog post by Sara Murray on the Brookside Mothers' Association blog about going out to beer joints with the family. Seeing how everyone I know seems to be popping out kids these days, it's a very relevant topic. Sara went out with her husband and two kiddos to Bier Station, KC Bier Co, and 75th Street Brewery. 

Their conclusion after a day of tippling? All the spots were very welcoming and accommodating to the little ones. I know this is pretty shocking to all of the neo-prohibitionists out there. As it turns out, bars (and in particular craft beer bars) are not pits of sin that we must shelter our children from. I'm really happy that they had a good time and found welcoming neighborhood bars in the scene, especially as people not already enamored by the craft beer world. It's a trend that I've definitely been noticing more and more these days and hope continues.

I've always ascribed to German drinking culture and really love the concept of the biergarten. In Germany biergartens are basically privately owned parks where families and friends can gather for a quiet Sunday afternoon while enjoying some beer. Nearly every time I've visited a biergarten in Germany there have been kids running around with their parents and grandparents looking on over a Maß of beer. It's even customary to allow the patrons to bring their own picnic to eat as long as they buy a beer from the biergarten. You can make it a real family outing, even with toddlers in tow. I'm thrilled that KC Bier Co followed the German model and set up a real German biergarten for KC.

We could take a lesson from the Germans. Their culture of open and moderate drinking leads to healthier and more responsible drinking habits for everyone. The kids don't grow up thinking that binge drinking in secret is the only way to consume alcohol. Not surprisingly, Germans drink 36% more alcohol than Americans per capita, but have an 18% lower rate of alcoholism.

The Biergarten at KC Bier Co