In Defense of Public Drinking

Discussion in 'Article Comments' started by BeerAdvocate, May 18, 2019.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. BeerAdvocate

    BeerAdvocate Admin (4,017) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    Staff Pooh-Bah

    Instead of embracing the beauty of public and outdoor drinking, Americans have largely relegated alcohol consumption to bars, implicitly marking them as dark dens of adult iniquity. Fortunately, small breweries are pushing for change.

    Read the full article: In Defense of Public Drinking
     
  2. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    This article surprises me a bit. It's almost as if Crouch has been asleep for the last few years. (Or maybe Philly is just ahead of most of the rest of the country. :wink:)

    Dozens of Philly Beer Gardens.

    I also think it would be nice if @herrburgess were to chime in with some comments about the Beergarden Experience he's been creating for his fellow South Carolinians.
     
  3. TrojanRB

    TrojanRB Grand Pooh-Bah (3,185) Jul 27, 2013 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Americans also haven’t embraced outdoor/ public nudity.....maybe there’s a correlation with the lack of alcohol!
     
  4. herrburgess

    herrburgess Grand Pooh-Bah (3,053) Nov 4, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Thanks, @drtth, for bringing this to my attention.

    I sometimes joke that the greatest German contribution to history and society is the beer garden. And really I'm only half-joking when I say it. The community that is created when people get together publicly to have some beers outdoors truly is something special. A lot goes into this in Germany: the community is usually enjoying their (hyper)local beer at (hyper)communal tables -- ours are only 2 ft wide, so you truly sit close to your neighbors -- with many (dare I say) drinking (hyper)similar beers. All of these things as they blend and meld with the local landscape make for a really cool time. And I've gone to great lengths and expense to emulate this as closely and authentically as I can.

    And the results, I think, speak for themselves. Even here in the heart of the Bible Belt, I really think people have begun to realize the special nature of a true beer garden. We regularly get mentioned as having best captured the spirit of our city of any brewery in town...as well as garnering a lot of local pride in our product. And I don't think it's necessarily because our German-style beers fit the culture best (although drinkabilty in a hot place like here goes a long way). Rather I think a big part of it is we let the city and the place and its people do part of the talking.

    Our Tuesday beer garden series at the historic pump house complex on the river here, which we've been doing since last spring, has continued to grow like crazy. So far this year we have averaged 1000+ people and have gone through more than 11 half barrels of beer during the short 3.5 hrs per day we are open.

    If done right -- and I think we do -- I see no reason why this won't grow in popularity here and elsewhere. If done wrong...as many so-called beer gardens are (notice how no one has a deck or a patio or a yard anymore...they are all "beer gardens" now?) then the "trend" might fade. But by all indications here -- despite the rare complaint about our general sinfulness -- we are seeing nothing but positives.

    hope this helps spread the word about -- and my love of -- beer gardens and outdoor, communal drinking. Prost!

    pics and other info here if you are interested:

    https://www.facebook.com/bierkellercolumbia/

    IG: @bierkellercolumbia
     
    #4 herrburgess, May 19, 2019
    Last edited: May 19, 2019
  5. Bitterbill

    Bitterbill Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,772) Sep 14, 2002 Wyoming
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Would outdoor beer festivals be considered as beer gardens?

    If not, the only one that I've been at was in Vienna Austria, sipping on a liter of Budvar, within walking distance of the high school that I graduated from.
     
  6. herrburgess

    herrburgess Grand Pooh-Bah (3,053) Nov 4, 2009 South Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    all of the above said, there is still -- especially in the surrounding suburbs of our city -- very much a taboo around public drinking. Most bars in those areas are still largely populated by "bar fly" types. I have seen this first-hand as I scouted locations for us to distribute to. My plan is now to try and introduce the model we are using in town to public places there. And the hope is that they, too, will see this is mainly about community -- people, families, kids, dogs -- and not about easy or public intoxication
     
    ChicagoJ, Duckaduck, Dan_K and 5 others like this.
  7. thedaveofbeer

    thedaveofbeer Savant (1,169) Mar 25, 2016 Massachusetts
    Trader

    I literally just got home from Wachusett Brewery brew yard. My Mother in-law asked me if this is what beer gardens are like in Germany (I have been, and she hasn't) . Looking around at the many picnic benches scattered under a canopy trees and old fashioned lights that were occupied by families and folks of all ages enjoying beer and snacks I could only say Prost! It is! Isn't it wonderful!
     
  8. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,145) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Outdoor drinking is certainly how I got interested in craft beer. Good times kicking back before shows all across the country drinking great beer with great friends before Dead shows many years ago. Sad to say I won't ever make it to the originals in Germany (have taken a vow to stop all travel more than 200 miles from home and to do motorized travel less than 5K a year total), but recently some nice beer gardens have opened in this area.
     
  9. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    If it’s on private property it’s part of the establishment, Old Mecklenburg Brewery sits on over 4 acres in Charlotte. Nothing I hate more than the dark, brooding, smoky bars I grew up in back in Pa. They weren’t kid friendly, dog friendly, sometimes not people friendly if you weren’t known. I don’t see Beer Gardens as an outside drinking place, it’s privately owned and controlled by ownership, there’s an entrance and and exits, you can’t just stumble in from the street. Tailgating is cool, the cops obviously allow it as long as your not an ass.
     
  10. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,862) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Public drinking is the best and the fact that it's not allowed in most of the US is the biggest proof that so much of our 'freedom' talk is just bluster and baloney. Parks are made for drinking, waterfronts are great places to have a beer, heck sitting on a bus station bench sipping a beer while watching the world move by is a deeply pleasant experience.
    For all our talk we are still a country deeply connected to our puritanical past. The ban on adults drinking in public spaces is a sure sign of this. Puritans are just immoral monsters who need legal restrictions to keep them from expressing their monstrosity in the world. Keep it in your churches and let the rest of us enjoy a beer with our trees
     
  11. TrojanRB

    TrojanRB Grand Pooh-Bah (3,185) Jul 27, 2013 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    An interesting vow, but you owe yourself a trip to Munich. From what I know about you on these forums, it’s right in your sweet spot.
     
  12. bbtkd

    bbtkd Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,326) Sep 20, 2015 South Dakota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Though the drinking age was 18 in Wisconsin when I grew up, the open-container laws were strictly enforced in most places. I was amazed how openly they drink in Vegas, New Orleans, and Europe.
     
  13. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    AIS in Dobling?
     
    EmperorBatman and Bitterbill like this.
  14. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    I was in a bar in Phoenix City Al in 1977, State Trooper came in to close the bar, hollered at us to get the hell out and take your drinks with you. A military kinda bar outside of Ft Benning Ga, but I could never understand his pissy attitude.
     
  15. readyski

    readyski Maven (1,471) Jun 4, 2005 California
    Trader

    Had to chime in
    My absolute favorite place to drink is at the top of a hike (outside) in the company of friends
    Usually spend 30 - 60 minutes there enjoying my "pint" and philosophizing
    Any longer or more beer may be counter productive on the way down :grimacing:
     
  16. Bitterbill

    Bitterbill Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,772) Sep 14, 2002 Wyoming
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Ya. AIS but not in Dobling, wherever that is. In Wein.
     
    drtth likes this.
  17. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,677) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Society

    We had a three year run of The National Folk Festival here in Greensboro, and last year the initial North Carolina Folk Festival. This is a wide open event in downtown with beer tents everywhere. It all works well and with the fantastic music people just really seem to behave and pay attention. Downtown Greensboro becomes a beautifully perfect gala, full of beer and wine, just out there on the street. It is a marvel and makes me proud.
     
    Duckaduck, Scrapss, meefmoff and 6 others like this.
  18. deleted_user_1007501

    deleted_user_1007501 Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2015

    In Japan, drinking in public areas is not only legal, but is done quite often. It seems to be a thing in more developed cultures. Maybe in a few (or more) decades, the States can follow suit. Cause y’know...people find a way to do it anyway.
     
    Retsinis, ChicagoJ, Duckaduck and 8 others like this.
  19. drtth

    drtth Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2007 Pennsylvania
    In Memoriam

    IIRC Dobling is the District in Wien where the school is located. Out near lower Austria and the Vienna Woods.
     
    Bitterbill likes this.
  20. bbtkd

    bbtkd Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,326) Sep 20, 2015 South Dakota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    When I lived in Phoenix, AZ in 1977, I mounted Bar-buoys (gimbaled drink holders for a boat) to my dashboard. We'd drive from party to party with our beers clearly visible and at least once lucked out when a cop next to us at a light managed to overlook the obvious violation. Still not sure how I survived some of my young stupidity.
     
    SFACRKnight, dcotom and Milktoast75 like this.
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.