Teenagers in house - how to secure kegs?

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phoenixs4r said:
Google kegdroid. I think that's the name if it. Then add tasers to the droids arm if they do not have valid access. Protect your delicious beer and have a laugh at the same time!
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I like where you're going with this.
Why not just hook up some electric fencing to the kegs, and taps? Then if they try to use the taps they get zapped, if they try to open the kegs they get zapped!
 
I don't lock my taps because I trust my kids. I don't trust all of their friends, but since they rarely have them over, and never while we are not home, I've yet to have to lock my taps. My kids understand that drinking is not a "big deal". Probably because they grew up with dad having a glass of beer or two in the evening. They also know I brew my own and the young one loves to help.

Growing up I had a friend who's parents would let their kids drink. It wasn't forbidden. Some of them still grew up binge drinking and doing other related bad things. My best friend was killed in Detroit, probably over some drug related stuff (he spent years in prison.) He and I both had access to the same beer and he just wanted to waste his life in the thrill of doing bad things.

I grew up in a house that had no alcohol and that kind of thing never appealed to me. My oldest has known for years that she can drink beer in our house if she wants. She has tasted it once or twice and never showed interest in any of it.

You'll have to judge your own kids' personalities and their friends' as well of course. There are tap locks and you can even install an electronic solenoid to close the liquid lines off with a key. That may be a more expensive option, but one of the most convenient.
 
I am thankful I have about 13 years to figure out what I'm going to do before I have to worry about that with my son.
 
genes said:
There is a lot of bad advice on this site..... this may be the worst.
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I disagree with you. Would you rather your kids learn how to drink from you or from their 19 year old friend with a funnel in one hand and a 40 oz. Natty light in the other?

My dad used to let my have a sip of his beer before I was ten years old. What I learned then was that beer tasted nasty compared to Coke and fruit juice. When I got older he would let me drink a beer or two when we were sitting on the back porch or out in the fishing boat. But he never got drunk and he didn't let me get drunk. When I went off to college, drinking was no big deal to me. I got a little crazy and went on some binges, and then I woke up in the morning with a pounding headache thinking "this sucks". So my dad taught me how to have a beer or two to get a buzz and have a good time without ending up in the emergency room getting my stomach pumped. I think that was pretty good advice.
 
Evorgrah said:
Drink with them so they're no longer curious... Better get them used to it before they hit college.
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I support this poster. As a individual who was NEVER exposed to alcohol prior to college, I can say from personal experience, I should have been introduced to it prior to entering college. If a teenager has no experience to alcohol prior to college, they WILL find it, they WILL drink it, and they WILL abuse it until they understood how to get it under control.

While I do not have kids of my own, I fully plan on introducing them to alcohol prior to them attending college. They need to know the affects, and how to drink responsibly. You can lecture all you want, however, until the teenager can pair your lecture with their personal experience they will never take your words seriously. Alcohol should not be treated as a taboo, after all, grown adults, let alone teenagers, always want the forbidden fruit. You want what you can't have have. If alcohol is taboo, they will pursue it even more, abuse it even more. Introduce them to alcohol early. Show them how to indulge responsible. Because I ensure you, when they go to college they will be drinking. Would you rather them know how to drink responsibly, or would you have them walk into college blind? Your choice. I want my kid prepared.
 
Provided an unlimited supply of sugary beverages / snacks and your kids will have a higher chance of staying away from beer. I never really liked beer until I stopped consuming massive amount of pop on a regular basis. Make them drink like 6 a day. Oh and video games, provide lots of video games. Why go out and drink when you are addicted to the latest MMORPG?

If you're used to drinking pop constantly, beer is going to taste horrible.

Growing up I was never told beer in the fridge was off limits. I sampled a few here and there, probably after I was 16. I moved out at 18 and went to college. I'm 26 now and just getting into brewing and drinking beer.

Also, put up a sign that says "one of these kegs contains a powerful laxative".
 
I wouldn't be surprised if there was some type of liability concerns if you don't make an effort to keep alcohol away from your teenager's friends. God forbid someone gets injured after drinking in your house, you could end up in legal or financial trouble.

It's good to teach your kids responsibility and expose them to responsible consumption, but at the same time you have to be realistic about some of the dangers associated with alcohol.
 
It really depends on the kid, however, I would lock it up, tell them they can try some with you when they are 18.

The reality is, kids think getting drunk is fun & rebelious, maybe your child respects the rules/laws enough to where this won't be a temptation, but many kids, regardless of how their parents have shown them to be responsible with alcohol will not be able to resist. There is no silver bullet for how to handle this from what I can tell, so best to be proactive and make sure they only get into your brew on your terms, whatever those may be.
 
Education on the dangers of booze is one way....I personally found education on the dangers theft...especially the theft of dads beer to work best.

You can paint a much more vivid picture of the consequences of that.

Other then that though, I don't generally deny my kids a beer if they ask. They're both 16+. America tends to have an ass backwards idea about the dangers of a beer with dinner or after mowing the lawn etc.
 
I (25 years old) was just talking about high school drinking with my sister and brother in law (32 and 34) this past weekend. My sister was saying how she regretted it and the stupid stuff she had done in high. I didn't start drinking until my senior year of high school, but just cause I wasn't drinking didn't mean I wasnt doing a bunch of stupid stuff! My friends and I would fill ketchup packets up at the local mcdonalds and then drive around tossing them and opposing traffic drivers windshields (pretty dangerous to the other driver). We went streaking in highly visible areas (thank goodness we were never caught and even more so that we weren't 18 at the time!) And did a bunch of other stupid stuff with no alcohol or drugs in the mix!

I and my friends were pretty responsible and when we did drink it was in one location and we spent the night there - usually someones parents went out of town. A huge problem I see with high school drinking is that there is a lot of driving involved. Kids have curfews or are expected to be home and they make dumb decisions. In college, everything was walkable, and my college provided a great late night "drunk bus" route from campus to the off-campus apartment complexes. So drinking and driving was pretty non-existent.

So like others have mentioned, know your kids and make things on a case by case basis. I like what the other poster's dad had said about telling your kids what you want and letting their friends parents make the decisions for them.

I don't have kids yet, and realize that when I do my views on this topic could change, especially as I am further removed from the age. But I think responsible exposure at family functions and under parent supervision is far from the worst thing that could happen. Also suprised no one has pointed this out, but if you let your kids taste under your supervision, you will be creating another craft beer drinker instead of the BMC swill :)

I'd also like to point out that my wife and I are in the vast minority when it comes to drinking to get drunk/wasted amongst our friends. Seems that 90% of our friends from college still get trashed once or twice every weekend....def feel there is a lot of immaturity still of the mid-20s age group
 
Locks are only going to keep honest people honest. If a dishonest person OR a person that's brain has not fully developed yet (teenagers) that struggles with right/wrong concepts they are nearly worthless.

As far as ancient cultures and other cultures go. In ancient Egypt even children were given a dish of beer. In Germany there is no drinking age if you have money and can reach the bar you get served. In France most children are given a small glass of wine with dinner.

I agree with teaching your kids about alcohol and responsibility. Even to go as far to encourage small samples (if it is legal to do so in your state.) If you turn someone into a craft beer drinker and teach responsibility when drinking AND lead by example I can not see how this is worse than putting locks on stuff. A lock screams,"I DO NOT TRUST YOU." This course also means less "out of control drinking parties" in the later high school/collage years.

Teach your children to not give into peer pressure IF a classmate/friend or themselves thinks/says "Let's have some of your dad's beer." They need to say "No. My father is a great guy and I do not want to screw up my relationship with him or do something that we have talked about being wrong." This means you will have to actually talk to your kids AND have a good relationship with them.
 
demystifying alcohol seems to be the best way to go. Education can lessen the draw and attraction to your beer better than any lock can. I educate my son about alcohol (he is 7) and include him in the whole process of brewing. He's great with helping clean the equipment and when I was bottling he would help clean the bottles and fill them.

Others here have commented about High School kids getting anything they want, and it is true. There will come a time that kids will be curious about the things we prohibit them to do...it is only natural. I would think the biggest worry would not be your kids, but their friends sipping on your keg and/or pressuring your kids into letting them try some. Peer pressure is very powerful.

Trust that your kids will do the right thing and allow them to be "adult" about their decisions and actions. When they do breach your trust then deal with it then.

We can not plan for everything in life, and often times we must trust in our own gut instinct especially when it comes to our kids.
 
The Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court had a kegger at their house with dozens of high school studnets there. No charges were filed. . . :ban:
 
do you want their fist time getting drunk to be with you around to keep them safe, or for it to happen when you are not around to keep them safe. it will happen.
 
genes said:
There is a lot of bad advice on this site..... this may be the worst.
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So in the spirit of taking everything literally, I ask that you please read every bit of advice ever given out on this board and then support your claim :D
 
ptakers said:
So in the spirit of taking everything literally, I ask that you please read every bit of advice ever given out on this board and then support your claim :D
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And in other truly vague and unsubstantiated news, cocky poo poo blart fart you smell.
 
Zamial said:
Locks are only going to keep honest people honest. If a dishonest person OR a person that's brain has not fully developed yet (teenagers) that struggles with right/wrong concepts they are nearly worthless..
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Yeah. You also run into the issue that the more complex your lockdown system becomes, the more annoying it becomes for the user (you). And eventually you get lazy and scrap the whole idea because it's too much of a hassle.

I think some form of low grade security is never a bad thing, simply to do what stores do with shoplifting, that is, to provide a cheap, visible security solution to discourage thefts of opportunity and so on. In the end, there's no such thing as perfect security.
 
Have any of you thought of sitting down with your kids, spending some time with them, and beating them?! :ban: :ban:






No really, we have two teenage boys, 16 and 13 and I feel it's really important to talk with your kids about the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, and about the realities of responsible use of recreational drugs and alcohol. Let's be real, we all use at least one drug recreationally and our children are very aware of this, the approach of "do as I say, not as I do" didn't work in 20 years ago when I was a teen, and it doesn't work now. Our boys seldom see me or their mother buzzed, but they see us enjoy beer (and sometimes wine) most days. They understand that we enjoy tasting and brewing beer, and that intoxication is a side effect of over indulgence that responsible adults try to avoid (most of the time). I think teens are far more likely to act like the adults they see in their daily lives than they are to act completely differently from their parents/guardians just because "we say so".
Also, on the subject of giving teens a taste, or even a bottle of beer.... first off, it's legal in many states and all arguments aside, not at all immoral (IMO) if done in an appropriate fashion. I'm not saying letting your kids drink is a good idea, but I see nothing wrong with a father and his son enjoying a bottle of beer while fishing or doing yard work. I may be way off base here, but I learned about alcohol from my parents, mainly my father, who drinks a few brews a night, always has unless it's a special occasion. Even when we were little, dad would let us have a 'sip' here and there, and as we got older, he'd let me and my brother have the occasional beer if the situation was appropriate (after a hard day in the yard, on a fishin'/huntin' trip, or even the occasional evening on the patio). I'm not saying I never went balls out drinking at a party when I was younger, but I've never been an abusive drinker (meaning I've never sought to drink for a buzz) and I've never struggled with the ills of alcoholism (even though it runs rampant on my mother's side, her included).
I think it's all about teaching your kids to grow into responsible adults, and not just when it comes to drinking, but in every way. If you pretend that alcohol is this taboo that noone can touch until the magical day when they've been alive for 21 years, how can you expect them to act responsibly with alcohol at that point? I mean, last time I checked, 21 year olds were just as rowdy and irresponsible as say an 18 year old.
 
Dear OP; before I forget, I have some serious suggestions and some sarcastic ones which I will clearly label to avoid confusion.

Serious: If you're tall, or have a step ladder, drill a "shed" type lock where you can add a padlock, and put it on top of the fridge if or once you have one.
Ask a bar how they do it, the scales previously mentioned sounds like a great idea.

Now for the sarcastic one.
Buy an electric fence and set it to "bear" after wrapping up your keg in rubber / insulator so you don't electrify it ( also I think if you were to do that the electricity would add anions to the kegs and then to the beer and give it a negative charge?? Im no chemist but it's a thought that electrifying it could ruin the flavor, or make it great who knows! )
Good luck!
 
Tell them you dipped your sack in one of the kegs.

I guess it would depend on your personality whether on not they believe you. My kids would be very unsure...
 
A lot of interesting information here. I have 9 years until my oldest is a teenager, so hopefully y'all will have figured all this out by then and posted a sticky that I can read :)
 
I was thinking of using a webcam when my kids grow up. I'll let them know it's there and that they can have a little bit if they ask, but if I catch them sneaking or obstructing the camera, there will be hell to pay. Make your own damn beer, kids.
 
bumstigedy said:
A lot of interesting information here. I have 9 years until my oldest is a teenager, so hopefully y'all will have figured all this out by then and posted a sticky that I can read :)
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We're expecting our first (twin boys) in September, so I'll echo this sentiment.
 
If I had had to lock up my beer when we were raising kids, I'd have given up one or the other.

Jokes aside, the issue is how the kids are raised, not whether or not the alcohol is locked up.
 
LandoLincoln said:
Illinois allows you to serve alcohol to your kids in your home.

My elder son has no interest in alcohol whatsoever. My younger son likes to sample my home brews. He doesn't really like any of them, but he still likes to try a few sips of each of them.
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Are you sure about that? I've lived here my whole life and never heard or read that.
 
TKOriginal said:
Ohh somebody is a little butt hurt about last week. Interesting, there is a hbs in montgomery, mr beer kits at publix in dothan, but a felony if you use them. On topic, educate. Our hb club leader said "our kids sampled liquor when we drank at home and do you know what they became in college? DDs" my parents locked the alcohol up and never really drank in in front of me. I didnt drink much in hs but spent my first year in college at the bars, almost kicked out.

Also.there are faucet lockes to keep the neighborhood riff raff out.
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I live in Nebraska, but the Alabama drama was like a bad Lifetime movie with the bad legislative actors and a sexy homebrew star. You knew it was going to be a train wreck, but you had to watch until the end.

I agree about the educate and the comments on maturity. The boy has finished his second year of college and I didn't need to go get him out of jail. A friend, years ago, gave me great advice. Don't let the kids go to college so far away that it takes a plane ride to get em out of jail.
 
opus345 said:
i live in nebraska, but the alabama drama was like a bad lifetime movie with the bad legislative actors and a sexy homebrew star. You knew it was going to be a train wreck, but you had to watch until the end
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roflmao !!!
 
If your kid wants to get at your beer they're gonna find a way. While I don't condone underage drinking, I think it is useless worrying about it since they are going to get at yours or someone elses one way or another.

Just hope that they respect you enough to steer clear of your beer and, if they do decide to experiment, hope that they aren't one of the bad seeds who abuse it and use it excessively.
 
my kids go with me on brewery tours, have helped to plant a friends vineyard for his winery, and help me brew. they taste the wort before yeast is added, and never once have they liked it, or asked to taste the finished product. I do not allow them to drink soda, and IMHO would rather them drink a beer with dinner at the age of 15 than soda. I am a firm believer that small beer, or very low abv beer is not Bad for Them. I do not want them to get to high school or college and loose there damn minds over bud light, but want them to see what it is and how it is made. if they choose to drink once they are out of the house, i really cannot stop them. However, I do not have let them while they are here. there is a fine line that must be crossed for every parent, and happen to like my approach.
 
Chia said:
Ok, Who only drinks 3 gallons of beer? I mean come on! I can do that in a week, by only having a few glasses a night! :ban:
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This is my point, the previous poster used the 3 gallon figure as if that was proof of problem drinking all by itself.
Of course that's an average, but that means for every one drinker like me, more than 20 people wouldn't have a drop.
That's just me averaging a bit over a pint a day.
 
Make RIS, IPAs, Sours, (you get the picture) I'm sure that a teenage wouldn't drink any of those lmao,
 
Chia said:
Ok, Who only drinks 3 gallons of beer? I mean come on! I can do that in a week, by only having a few glasses a night! :ban:
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That IS per week. I was just trying to point out that the whole "introduce it early like the responsible Europeans do" is a myth...Europe has massive problems with drinking. People are going to do what people want to do, parents and teenagers alike, so this thread is a little strange IMO. Unless there is some top-tier adolescent psychologist homebrewer on here.

FWIW, I've never seen my parents drunk or even drink really and I was running amok before high school. They used to give me the "just call me if you need a ride" talk and I still got into drinking throughout high school. It was my brother that I really listened to and looked up too...keep that in mind all you parents with multiple children. Its almost always the peers and not the parents they take cues from!
 
Han_Solo said:
If your kid wants to get at your beer they're gonna find a way. While I don't condone underage drinking, I think it is useless worrying about it since they are going to get at yours or someone elses one way or another.
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I'm sorry, but while I agree that they will find it if they really want to, it doesn't mean he has to make it easy for them.
 

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