Teenagers in house - how to secure kegs?

[mychalg9]

Normally with beer you can tell if sneaky teens are doing away with them because they disappear from the fridge, but with kegs in a fridge it's not as easy to notice a few missing here or there. We have kids in the house that are fast approaching high school which will inevitably mean a curioisty in alcohol. Other than just lecturing them on the repercussions of drinking, is there a way to keep the suds safe from curious tastebuds? Is there any way to employ a lock or something on a keg fridge? SInce I dont even have a fridge yet I figured I would seek some answers to steer me in the right direction before I go out and buy anything. I may end up with just plain old picnic taps so everything could be contained within the fridge itself. I'm thinking maybe I could bolt on a couple of hasps with a padlock. If anyone has experience with this kind of thing I would love the input.

 

[JoeyChopps]

I have seen locks that go around the taps. Or just disconnect the the beer lines and lock the fridge so they can't be hooked up. And continue teaching the idea of not abusing beer good luck

 

[Evorgrah]

Drink with them so theyre no longer curious... Better get them used to it before they hit college.

 

[boxofjibboo]

If its got a tap on it you could use these

http://www.beveragefactory.com/draftbeer/faucets/faucet_locks/index.shtml

 

[jerryteague]

I have 2 teenagers in my house. Both know what beer tastes like, because I let them sample a very small amount when I brew. They also know that if they even go near my beer, they will be grounded for the rest of their lives. I trust my kids to do the right thing, until they give me a reason not to. Nonetheless my Keezer stays locked when they have friends over.
I also get them involved in the brewing process, and let them help brew as much as I can. I'm even going to let them help me with my kegs as soon as they arrive.
My advice would be that if you don't want your teenagers to get into your homebrew, then talk to them about it, and also keep it locked up to remove any doubt. But I would also get them involved in the process (fermenting beer in a carboy is not a pretty sight to a child, mine think its gross). Just my $.02.

 

[opus345]

Drink with them so theyre no longer curious... Better get them used to it before they hit college.

I think this is exactly the behavior that the teetotaling Alabama legislators were talking about when home brew legislation didn't make it to the Senate vote after being approved in their House.

 

[aubiecat]

Drink with them so theyre no longer curious... Better get them used to it before they hit college.

What age do you suggest we start drinking with our children? 10, 12 14?

 

[genes]

Drink with them so theyre no longer curious... Better get them used to it before they hit college.

There is a lot of bad advice on this site..... this may be the worst.

 

[jerryteague]

There is a lot of bad advice on this site..... this may be the worst.

I'm sure the post was meant to be humorous, not to be taken seriously. But it seems that things are being taken literally, again.

 

[jtakacs]

illicit attraction is one of the most powerful draws out there. while I don't advocate drinking w your kids (my italian grandmother is rolling in her grave), there is a lot to be said for demystifying alcohol w kids. my son is 10 and knows what beer, wine, etc. tastes like.

 

[TarVolon]

There is a lot of bad advice on this site..... this may be the worst.

To me it sounds like it could be reasonable or could be terrible. Depends on the quantity and the age.

 

[aubiecat]

I'm sure the post was meant to be humorous, not to be taken seriously.

You would hope so but never know.

 

[BeerChef17]

Well for starters I would get some sort of lock for when you are out of town or they have friends over.

On the subject of drinking with them my parents always told me if I wanted to drink let them know and I could stay in and have 1 or 2 on the back porch with them. Whether or not you want them to drink they can and will find booze if they want to. I know I did. But I never went super crazy because beer was never forbidden and I had probably been allowed a sip or two since I was 12.

By no means should you provide your kids and their friends with booze but if they are curious better to have them experiment at home with you then out on the town with other kids their age.

 

[cl330b]

Unfortunately, if teens want to get alcohol, they will. If not from your tap, then from your teens friends parents tap. You can talk to them about it until you are blue in the face but at the end of the day, if they want it bad enough, they'll get it.

Now, protecting your stash is the topic at hand. As someone else suggested, disconnect the taps and lock the fridge. That's probably the surest way to loss prevention. Good luck!

 

[befus]

One of the hardest things to do is be a parent and not a friend to those you value most. The drinking in the home issue is one best left in the home for each individual set of parents to decide.

Legally.......not a good idea.

 

[jerryteague]

You would hope so but never know.

True. My stance is to teach kids common sense, and don't try to shelter them from the world. That being said, letting a teenager sample a home brew isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Europeans have been doing it for centuries, and most have turned out alright (I know, I lived in Germany for 3 years). It all boils down to what each parent is comfortable with.

 

[whitehause]

It may seem like overkill, but I've seen people sit their kegs on scales so they can keep track. A local pub started doing this to keep track of the employees "after hours". The manager would record the weights at the end of the night, then the opening manager would compare them the next day.

 

[dwarven_stout]

True. My stance is to teach kids common sense, and don't try to shelter them from the world. That being said, letting a teenager sample a home brew isn't necessarily a bad thing. The Europeans have been doing it for centuries, and most have turned out alright (I know, I lived in Germany for 3 years). It all boils down to what each parent is comfortable with.

And of course (depending on the state), it can be perfectly legal for a parent or guardian to give alcohol to a minor.

 

[mikescooling]

Kids in high school can get anything they want. As they become adult, they need to be guided into that role in life. But yea throw a lock on the frige and take the tap with you. you could lock the room the frige is in. But then again, they know how to brew, see what ya did....

 

[aubiecat]

And of course (depending on the state), it can be perfectly legal for a parent or guardian to give alcohol to a minor.

What states allow any adult to give alcohol to a minor?

 

[HeavyKettleBrewing]

To me it sounds like it could be reasonable or could be terrible. Depends on the quantity and the age.

To drink, reasonable. To get drunk, terrible.
OP: Put a lock on the fridge.

 

[HeavyKettleBrewing]

What states allow any adult to give alcohol to a minor?

Altered States?

 

[bob1852]

What states allow any adult to give alcohol to a minor?

If I recall correctly, ~23 states allow it.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Don't recall the link offhand, but in a good number it's allowed on private property with parents present. A few only require parental consent and not presence as long as its private property. So depending on where you live, your kids drinking with you is ok, other kids probably not.

Edit: found the link, it's most requiring only consent, some don't require consent at all...

 

[KYB]

Kids in high school can get anything they want. As they become adult, they need to be guided into that role in life. But yea throw a lock on the frige and take the tap with you. you could lock the room the frige is in. But then again, they know how to brew, see what ya did....

Haha, yea. Teenagers are smart about things they want. They also rebel the stricter you are (if they have the opportunity to) about certain things. If you lock it and tell them NO NO NO OFF LIMITS OR YOU'RE GROUNDED FOREVER.... they're going to get to it. Sure you may say fine, they're grounded forever, but then that just creates a war more than likely, or they bottle it up for the time being... Now, there's nothing wrong with locking it to prevent temptation, especially with friends over, but getting all crazy about sharing it with them is ridiculous. Obviously don't get the kids drunk, or even buzzed. If they're curious, let them have a small sample from time to time. No more curiosity. More than likely they will respect you more and instead of finding a way to steal the beer, they will ask.

Now, as for locks, many sites have faucet locks that are stupid expensive. If you're clever you could maybe built a "rack" than basically locks them all. I thought about that. I guess if you wanted to go cheap, you could disconnect the Beer Out QD's, and lock the keggerator from opening, then unlock, attatch the line/s you want, then detach before you lock it up again.

 

[aubiecat]

I looked it up and found an article that says,
"Although the minimum drinking age is 21 in all 50 states, 31 states allow parents, guardians or spouses to furnish alcohol to minors. In seven of the 31 states, that's permissible only in a private residence."
It didn't tell which ones but I'd like to know who they are.

 

[spyder1911]

Wisconsin allows it, i believe even in restaurants if the parent order the alcohol.

After living in Germany and seeing parents drink with their 14 year old kids and getting drunk with 15 or 16 year old kids (the legal drinking age is 16 for beer and 18 for hard alcohol). They seem to go through the same experiences as American kids but in more controlled environments, dunk in their own house vs. in a car/empty house/hotel/etc.

I wish the drinking age was lower, youth were more responsible with drinking, and parents better oriented their children with alcohol. Unfortunately that's not the case, maybe it has something to do with the cultural differences.

Back on topic though, you can lockup your beer but if they want alcohol they will get it. In my high school days, kids would just sit in the parking lot of a grocery store and ask some random guy to buy them beer. Worked every time for them.

Better to teach them about it than make it that "forbidden fruit".

 

[Qhrumphf]

http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002591

That's got a full list. It's got links to the various state codes, but I'd heed the disclaimer and fact check it yourself for your state.

 

[DirtyOldDuck]

What states allow any adult to give alcohol to a minor?

Oregon.

ORS 471.410(2): No one other than the persons parent or guardian may sell, give or otherwise make available any alcoholic liquor to a person under the age of 21 years. A parent or guardian may give or otherwise make alcoholic liquor available to a person under the age of 21 years only if the person is in a private residence and is accompanied by the parent or guardian.

 

[LandoLincoln]

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.