Does anyone else think it's stupid to have an age check on brewery websites?

I really don't get the whole "enter the date of your birth" thing that so many brewery websites have.

I mean, not even getting into how easy it is for a "minor" to defeat this ridiculous security mechanism, it's just STUPID. It's not like you're going to get drunk reading a website. I mean, sure I understand there is a law that they cannot sell or distribute alcohol to people under 21 in the U.S. But a website is not going to accomplish that. Or maybe they have invented a new internet technology that I really need to try.

It's not like you have to confirm your age to watch all the beer advertisements during televised sporting events, in magazines, on billboards, etc.

Ya, I think it is stupid. It is really frustrating when its hard to get through the system quickly. I usually just changed the year to any date I know will be greater than 21... If they have a database tracker I would bet 90%+ of the dates are January 1st of some year. Some sites are nice and they just have a link saying if you are over 21 click here.

I assume this is done cause there is a law?

I think it's a CYA kind of thing. Pretty useless IMO but there is always some lawyer out there ready with a lawsuit.

Yeah, it's stupid. I think it's the industry just trying to show how proactive they are being in preventing underage drinking...the SCOURGE of the nation!!!!

Agreed with everything here! Especially the "its to cover their asses" statement!

Agreed on all counts.

Kinda like warnings on cigarette packets. Just a stupid CYA thing.

Revvy said:

Kinda like warnings on cigarette packets. Just a stupid CYA thing.

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Except those are required by law. Check out the new ones if you haven't yet: http://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/Labeling/CigaretteWarningLabels/default.htm

I guess the equivalent warnings on beer packaging would be pictures of horrible car wrecks and ugly people (yes, you did sleep with him/her).

Revvy said:

Kinda like warnings on cigarette packets. Just a stupid CYA thing.

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Whoa, hold on a minute!! I was just thinking about taking up the enriching hobby of cigarette smoking. Are you telling me there may be some sort of risk involved with that?!?!?

FYI, yes, I have been living in a cave and desparately need someone to spoon feed me information that is readily available to 99% of the public.

Shooter said:

FYI, yes, I have been living in a cave and desparately need someone to spoon feed me information that is readily available to 99% of the public.

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"No way!! Hey Rick, check this out!"

1st:annoying
2ndumb
Its probably a law or could be fined or owe money , i mean you cant ship beer from on those websites, and you probably dont have to identify your age if purchasing merchandise.

Yup, stupid CYA stuff that essentially means nothing.

I was just thinking about that - I hate it when I am just looking to get some quick info from a web site, and am greeted with that stupid screen.

I don't think comparing cigarettes with alcohol is fair. It's use of tobacco that causes problems, whereas beer only does when it is abused (and it's probably actually good for most people when consumed in moderation).

You guys dont realize how lucky you are to be able to get into those websites...

ArcaneXor said:

I was just thinking about that - I hate it when I am just looking to get some quick info from a web site, and am greeted with that stupid screen.

I don't think comparing cigarettes with alcohol is fair. It's use of tobacco that causes problems, whereas beer only does when it is abused (and it's probably actually good for most people when consumed in moderation).

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75,000 people a year die due to alcohol abuse(medical) related deaths. There are around 15,000 dui related deaths per year.

Somewhere around 500,000 people die per year from cigarettes and their secondary health effects.

It isn't "beer" that is good for you. It is the moderate consumption of alcohol that may have beneficial impacts on your heart. I can just as easily say 1 shot of McCormick's vodka is good for you, too.

The fact is tons of people die/are killed each year from people who haven't necessarily "abused" alcohol. The "buzzed" driving commercials aren't lying. I've scraped up more than one of them this week, with blood alcohol as low as .07.

I'd guess beer hurts a lot more people than it helps. I love my beer, and you'll pry it from my cold dead hands.... but I'm not going to fall into the fairy tale that my beer is going to save my life. I know that I don't drink just 1 a day when I drink it and its effects are likely more harmful than good.


THe real moral here: How is your post or mine relevant to the topic? Sure you have the inconvenience of three drop downs, but I'd rather kids be mildly discouraged from drinking/alcohol related things than not.

And to how all of us are injesting a continuious poison everyday without realizing in most packaged everyday food. Part of the thinning the herd plan.Nothing is safe unless you account for your own measures.

jd3 said:

THe real moral here: How is your post or mine relevant to the topic? Sure you have the inconvenience of three drop downs, but I'd rather kids be mildly discouraged from drinking/alcohol related things than not.

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I disagree that having an age check on brewery websites does anything at all, even mildly, to discourage kids from drinking alcohol.

weirdboy said:

I disagree that having an age check on brewery websites does anything at all, even mildly, to discourage kids from drinking alcohol.

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If anything it's probably the opposite.

"Whoa, you have to be 21 to get in this, let's do it, Timmy!"

MeatyPortion said:

If anything it's probably the opposite.

"Whoa, you have to be 21 to get in this, let's do it, Timmy!"

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No, no, no, kids aren't like that at all. They are not tempted by the forbidden fruit. You tell them off limits and they listen!

Shooter said:

No, no, no, kids aren't like that at all. They are not tempted by the forbidden fruit. You tell them off limits and they listen!

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Of course. Just like I was taught.

I agree that the intent is likely CYA but it seems to me it accomplishes just the opposite and could actually put a brewery at more risk of lawsuit. By having site vistors click their age or birthdate they are acknowledging that they know they must do something to prevent minors from accessing their site. But these things do no such thing, they are totally inadequate at preventing anybody from accessing their site. By disclosing the fact they know they must do something and then doing something that is a farce at accomplishing it...seems like more risk of lawsuit. See 'children accessing other's swimming pools' for cases of people being sued because they didn't do enough to prevent it. Maybe the fact is that is there is almost no chance of a lawsuit in the first place.

http://blackacrebrewing.com/home/

click on "I am under 21"

That was awesome.

Internet studies have shown that 90% of the world's people are born on January 1st, 19xx.

shanecb said:

Internet studies have shown that 90% of the world's people are born on January 1st, 19xx.

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I always put the oldest date I can possible do on their selections. One time I was 185 years old!

SpanishCastleAle said:

I agree that the intent is likely CYA but it seems to me it accomplishes just the opposite and could actually put a brewery at more risk of lawsuit. By having site vistors click their age or birthdate they are acknowledging that they know they must do something to prevent minors from accessing their site. But these things do no such thing, they are totally inadequate at preventing anybody from accessing their site. By disclosing the fact they know they must do something and then doing something that is a farce at accomplishing it...seems like more risk of lawsuit. See 'children accessing other's swimming pools' for cases of people being sued because they didn't do enough to prevent it. Maybe the fact is that is there is almost no chance of a lawsuit in the first place.

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Its just one more step in the way of allowing minors to be exposed to visual advertisements advocating alcohol consumption. Similar to how alcohol advertisements were banned from television for so many years...and then slowly reintroduced during late-night hours...in my state at least.

By placing the age check in the way, it puts the blame on the child's parents for not monitoring the child's internet habits, should the child enter the website. Is it stupid? Probably. Does it work? Probably not. Does it efficiently handle the legality of alcohol advertising? Certainly.

RMitch said:

Its just one more step in the way of allowing minors to be exposed to visual advertisements advocating alcohol consumption. Similar to how alcohol advertisements were banned from television for so many years...and then slowly reintroduced during late-night hours...in my state at least.

By placing the age check in the way, it puts the blame on the child's parents for not monitoring the child's internet habits, should the child enter the website. Is it stupid? Probably. Does it work? Probably not. Does it efficiently handle the legality of alcohol advertising? Certainly.

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They show beer commercials on every major network at all hours of the day. Those age-checks have zero bearing on whether or not the child's parents monitor their internet habits.

SpanishCastleAle said:

They show beer commercials on every major network at all hours of the day. Those age-checks have zero bearing on whether or not the child's parents monitor their internet habits.

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Not around here. You generally won't see them before 9pm or so. But we live in very different states. Average age of you state is what? 63? lol.

And those checks certainly do have a bearing on parental guidance. It removes the ability of the parents organizations to sue the brewery/distillery for the depictions of alcohol consumption they feature on their website. It is an ingenious way to defer responsibility.

Hugh_Jass said:

http://blackacrebrewing.com/home/

click on "I am under 21"

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Nice!

My birthday IS January 1st, so I usually change the day, month, and year, because I don't want to actually submit my real b-day.

Hugh_Jass said:

http://blackacrebrewing.com/home/

click on "I am under 21"

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Ridiculously hilarious.

Hugh_Jass said:

http://blackacrebrewing.com/home/

click on "I am under 21"

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Holy crap that is amazing. I will now be going to tons of brewery sites and click the not 21 box...

Ironic too, since He-Man was on last night and the first time I had seen it in probably 25 years.

Can't recall which brewery site it was, but for sh!ts n' giggles, I clicked "Under 21" one time & got re-directed to the main Disneyland site. Laughed louder than I probably should have...

Founders in GR had you enter your birth date to log in, which was a huge PITA for me on my old smartphone. I emailed them and got a response that they do that on advice from their lawyers or there is some rule or something.

But then I got another response right after that that showed they switched it to a YES or NO option for being over 21, which totally made it easier to log in.

But yeah, I don't see how this is keeping an underage anyone from visiting the website.

Its not about preventing underage access...its about deferring responsibility.

RMitch said:

Its not about preventing underage access...its about deferring responsibility.

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Right so how does having a lame entry page do that?


Guy: I swear, officer, I asked her and she said she was 18!
Officer: Not an excuse. Welcome to your new life as a registered sex offender!

weirdboy said:

Right so how does having a lame entry page do that?


Guy: I swear, officer, I asked her and she said she was 18!
Officer: Not an excuse. Welcome to your new life as a registered sex offender!

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The internet is relatively anonymous. It is the responsibility of the parent to monitor their child's internet habits. These age checks defer the responsibility to the parent.

Parent: How dare you let my son view alcoholic advertisements! I'm suing!
Company: Ma'am, we have age checks on our website. Perhaps you should monitor your child's internet behavior better.
Parent: Um...well...

Its basically to keep those annoying Parent's associations off of their backs.

Its like childproof mechanisms on lighters, medicine bottles...do they actually work? As in, is there anything physically preventing the child from accessing the product? No. But again, its all about deferring responsibility. Tort law is a *****.

But as a child, I WANT to see all of the inappropriate content on Bell's website! You know, images of BEER, and... and... T-Shirts and stuff! Maybe see the names of all of those bands that are playing this weekend that I can't go and see.

Let's face it, though. Breweries' websites encourage people to drink beer. A strong case could be made that repeatedly viewing a brewery's website could entice a youngster to want to drink beer. Right? Am I right??

Yeah.

Funny, though. I don't remember having to click the OVER 21 button on my television screen when a Bud Light commercial comes on (you know the ones with the half nekkid chicks on there??)

Homercidal said:

But as a child, I WANT to see all of the inappropriate content on Bell's website! You know, images of BEER, and... and... T-Shirts and stuff! Maybe see the names of all of those bands that are playing this weekend that I can't go and see.

Let's face it, though. Breweries' websites encourage people to drink beer. A strong case could be made that repeatedly viewing a brewery's website could entice a youngster to want to drink beer. Right? Am I right??

Yeah.

Funny, though. I don't remember having to click the OVER 21 button on my television screen when a Bud Light commercial comes on (you know the ones with the half nekkid chicks on there??)

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Truth. But that's different, as the responsibility is left up to the cable company to determine what they want to broadcast for their commercials. They'd get sued, not the breweries. And honestly, I highly doubt anheuser busch is worried about any lawsuits...they must have an office building full of lawyers at their disposal.

Around here, in the great liberal beacon of freedom and liberty that is the state of MA, they have restrictions so that you won't see a beer ad before 9pm, unless watching a sporting event. :cross: