Kids in Taprooms?

Fresh 1st time parent of a beautiful 11 week old little girl.

Had some of the same reservations and thoughts about the appropriateness of a baby in a taproom.

We got over it quickly! We honestly visit at least 1 brewery/taproom per week and have always felt comfortable and welcomed. I will typically have a flight or pint and we are on our way. You aren't going to be able to keep her fed and sleeping much longer than that anyway! I feel the daytime vibes are extremely family friendly. If you don't like the environment the first time don't go back. You will find places you and your family enjoy going, and can enjoy a lot of the same things you always have.

Cheers!! And Congrats!!

 

I have no problem with kids at breweries or tap rooms. I actually like kids and as long as they aren't running around screaming I have no issue with them being there while I'm enjoying a drink. As long as you don't use her to mule at releases your fine .

 

I take my kids to brewpubs if we are eating, but if we're just going for beer I make sure they aren't with us. I'm not opposed to people taking their kids, but if I'm going to be in a tap room for a couple hours drinking, my kids will be bored out of their minds and I don't expect them to sit there. And I won't be the guy letting his kids run wild bothering everyone and getting into stuff.

 

I am 50/50 on this and yes I have kids. On one side of the coin I think bars are for adults and honestly if I am at one I wanted to get away from my screaming kids. So having other peoples kids screaming at me is not fun. Keep in mind, a bar is a place for adults, they are drinking, sometimes acting stupid and most often using profanity. So with that said do you want your kids around that? Second, depending on where you are at there is smoking, again do you want your kids around that, probably no. Lastly, do you really need to be out drinking with your kids, probably not wise since they watch you and I don't want them seeing Dad at the bar hammering down beers all afternoon.
Now on the other side of that coin. If you are at a place that is like a restaurant/bar and encourages family and is a normal setting then by all means yes. I think the key is setting, is it a true pub or more a pub/restaurant? I guess being a parent of many years I kept my kids FAR away from bars, that is no place for them and honestly a lot of trouble stems from stupid drunk people and my kids don't need to be in that environment. I am all for a few pints when out with kids but its at a setting that is for families, my breweries are off limits, I just feel they are for adults.
Hope that makes sense. Not being a downer but honestly bars and kids really don't mix well, just like vegas, not really a place for your 4 mos old ya know.
Cheers.

 

After all the threads that have tirelessly discussed this seemingly endless debate, you have somehow put it all into perfect perspective in just a few paragraphs. Well done, sir.

 

If my kids are with me I go by the 1 per hour rule. But simply put you CAN enjoy beer and not become intoxicated. If I'm with my kids I am extra cautious. I can drink 3 coors light in an hour and not feel it, but if I knew I was driving my kids I would stick to my one per hour.

 

Thank you!

 

My kids are 29 and 27, and sometimes it still feels weird consuming alcohol around and with them. My son is into good beer almost as much as I am, and "IP trades" with him still strike me strange.

We took our kids virtually everywhere, but if they were unruly we were out the door regardless where we were. We never went to bars with them, but other places serving alcohol - sure. Breweries were not a thing back then. We were rarely out late, but pretty minimal restrictions otherwise. We believe this helped make them relatively civilized (they are kids...shit happens) by exposure to a wide variety of social situations mediated by common sense. No...we didnt go to bars because that just seems out of place. Long lines or crowded tasting rooms - well they weren't really a thing back then, but that doesn't make much sense either.

They don't come with a manual, that is one thing for sure. Some things you will have to figure out on the fly, and a child's tolerance for different situations is one of them. So is the response of the parent. I dont think most people mnd a reasonably well-behaved kid. I have run into the out of control kids and clueless "adults" quite frequently and I am much less tolerant than I used to be. So I agree with those that are saying the application of common sense and knowing your child is what matters. We never feared trying different situations, but we were savvy enough to walk away if things were headed south. Would I have taken them to the local VFW? Absolutely not. Did I take them to family cookouts or events where alcohol flowed...yes, and hopefully set the example by drinkng responsibly.

The driving thing...that is an interesting aspect I never thought about. I survived my heavy drinking drunken days by some miracle, so that was not a factor during parenting years. But again, it is common sense and understanding that you are no longer living just for yourself.

 

And congratulations. Buckle up...it is a wild ride you are embarkng upon, but there is nothing like it I can even imagine. Cherish the time, because it is gone in a flash.

 

dude, thats what spouses/significant others that dont drink are for!

 

I personally don't like being around children and particularly so in a place reserved for adult activities like consumption of alcohol.

Brewpub or taproom that serves food? Fine. Brewery taproom that does not make food? No children, please.

 

I would prefer them not to be there. 99% of children are not as well behaved as the parents desperately want to believe they are. It is rarely not at least a slight annoyance. That is my selfish, small picture feeling.

Overall I get it and am fine with kids in the taproom. It's a good step forward in the US in not vilifying alcohol. That is a big picture I can get behind.

 

I would assume those posting for bringing kids either have a spouse who is not drinking or have set up a ride home.

 

Man I wish all these breweries would have been around when my kids were growing up. Yes I see them everywhere, and no I really don't care. It is one thing being at a nice restaurant when a kid cuts loose, but at most taprooms the kids are probably the better behaved of the bunch. I take my kids with me now, but they are usually lobbing onto my tab.

 

I was going to make a joke about having bigger problems if your kid is biting random customers, but I actually saw this happen at a winery one time.

I've taken my kids to all manner of brewpubs (Founders, Bell's, New Holland, Revolution, GI, etc.), but I tend to draw the line at taprooms where there's no food option. There have been a couple of times that we've grabbed a pizza somewhere close and headed to a taproom, but only if the place is cool with kids being around, we can grab a table, and (most importantly) it's a relatively dead day or time. Last thing I want is to be in a situation where they're getting antsy or bored. It's not fun for them, it's not fun for me, and it's really not fun for anyone else. Plus, I'm very cognizant of the example I set when it comes to drinking. When they're around, alcohol is generally reserved for meals or when gathering with friends/family.

 

We can only hope.

In NY we something called Leandra's Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leandra's_Law

whereby the adult driver is charged with a class E felony for driving intoxicated with anyone under 15 years old in the car.

I doubt that people are carrying baby seats into taprooms with them and subsequently loading them into an Uber.

I have also never seen kids in a taproom in NY/NJ/PA/RI/MA.

To me that would seem very out of place and would be the equivalent of seeing kids in a bar/saloon.

I do understand that in Colorado taprooms and breweries are more of a restaurant experience, but this is not really the case in the northeast, with a few exceptions (Troeg's, Pizzaboy, Victory, Tired Hands).

 

To anyone who doesn't want to hear screaming kids and wants to be able to freely curse while out:

If your language is worse than what kids already hear at school, and you are being loud enough for others to hear, then there's a good chance you are being just as annoying as a screaming kid.

 

If someone goes to a taproom and they leave their kids at home to avoid the issue above, they should still recognize that they are sharing the road with cars with other people's kids in them.

 

Hmmm, good point, you're right. I agree, and that makes it even more dangerous for folks to take children with them to drink at tap rooms since they will be in danger not only from their own parents' poor judgements, but from the poor judgements of others on the road too.

 

I assume that about half of these folks convince themselves that they are okay to drive, the same way they convince themselves that being around folks drinking and swearing is good for children.

I agree it can be a situation that isn't necessarily bad for children. Still waiting for someone to tell me how bringing a child to see my friends and I drink alcohol, swear, talk about many things some of which are inappropriate for children to hear, and have a lack of proper attention to small children underfoot is good for children. That was my standard for my now adult children, was it good for them. I'd be willing to overlook my dislike of having your children around me when I am doing adult activities if someone could convince me that the experience was good for their child to be there.