Tell us about your 21st Birthday

[FirstAidBrewing]

Or 18th for those of you that are non-American or were pre-normalization of the drinking age in the US.

Anyone have any good stories? I took a trip down memory lane with the wife today about what we did.

Mine was actually pretty uneventful. I was in the middle of a study abroad program, so when #21 rolled around, I had already been of age in that country since I arrived 6 months prior. Although I have to say the French have some pretty awesome drinking games, so I was well taken care of.

What's your story? Figure there might be some good ones here.

Skäll y'all!

 

[drainbamage]

Mine was boring as well. It was on a Sunday and I was working the next morning, so a buddy (who had also just turned 21 2 weeks before) went to B-Dubs. At the time, KY driver's licenses for minors had a big "UNDER 21" running down the sides, and neither of us had gotten updated to the adult licenses yet.

Problem was, that B-Dubs had just been busted by the ABC the week before for serving to minors. We gave our licenses to the bartender, and she gave us a dirty look and said, "it says you're under 21."

"I know, but look at the birth dates."

*still scowling* "Uh, I don't know. I need to check with the manager."

She explains to the manager, who looks at her like she's an idiot and says, "Yeah, the birthdays are ok. Give 'em a beer."

I get the concern of not wanting to get their liquor license revoked, but if I was going to scam them, why would I do it with a minor's license?

(Full disclosure: I do have a baby face too. I was still getting mistaken for a high schooler at 25. )

 

[harleybug88]

Well, in the 70's in Michigan you could drink legally at 18. I turned 18 while I was still in high school. ( I could write my own excuse slips for being absent ). That was cool.

But they changed the law back to 21 when I was 20. It was hard, but I got over it.

 

[1977Brewer]

Pretty sure I drank a little bit. I was more of a hard partier then, so I may have gone harder. I don't remember.

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

The day I turned 21, after I got home from work, I went to the party store down around the corner and picked up a 6 pack of Bud Ice. (Yeah, my taste in beer sucked back then) Even at 21, I looked like I was still in high school, so when I showed my driver's license, the old gal that ran the store does a double take at the date on the license and looks at me real suspiciously. "You don't look 21," she says. After squinting at my driver's license for about 5 minutes, it finally dawns on her that she's looking at a legit license and she rings up my total. Even today, at the ripe old age of 39, I get carded every single time I buy beer at a store.

 

[1977Brewer]

The day I turned 21, after I got home from work, I went to the party store down around the corner and picked up a 6 pack of Bud Ice. (Yeah, my taste in beer sucked back then) Even at 21, I looked like I was still in high school, so when I showed my driver's license, the old gal that ran the store does a double take at the date on the license and looks at me real suspiciously. "You don't look 21," she says. After squinting at my driver's license for about 5 minutes, it finally dawns on her that she's looking at a legit license and she rings up my total. Even today, at the ripe old age of 39, I get carded every single time I buy beer at a store.

I'm 38, balding, more grey in my beard than blonde at this point, and I still get carded.

 

[Fedora]

For my twenty first, my then girlfriend brought three other girls to my apartment. Yea, it was that kind of party. I didn't go out.

 

[dkwolf]

For my twenty first, my then girlfriend brought three other girls to my apartment. Yea, it was that kind of party. I didn't go out.

This guy wins.

 

[dkwolf]

Believe it or not, my 21st was the first time I had consumed any alcohol; the crowd I ran with wasn't goody-two-shoes, we just never got into the booze scene - our parties would involve gallons of generic Mountain Dew and an N64, or maybe a bonfire visible from space and usable as a navigational beacon (decent story about that one...)

My 21st came right at the start of my sophomore year of college. My friends all took me out to Applebees to celebrate, where I ordered my first alcoholic drink - a Mudslide. No idea who suggested that, but I haven't had one since. Got back to my dorm, and the guy across the hall brought over a bottle of apple pucker and a couple bottles of beer (or maybe wine cooler, I don't remember). Got a decent buzz going. My roomate, who WAS a goody-two-shoes type (his CB handle in high school was "speed limit", because he never actually went that fast), asked me what it felt like. I think my response was, "Well, I can understand why people like this..."

 

[passedpawn]

Went out with my girl (married to her now). I specifically remember the singer at the bar singing American Pie, and "they went to Perkin's for french toast, the day the music died". Indelible moment, not sure why.

Left for UCMC boot camp next day. Woot!

 

[1977Brewer]

This guy wins.

You're going to give the trophy to the liar?

 

[Temptd2]

Holy cow, that was 41 years ago - I'm not sure what I did, but I can bet it didn't involve much alcohol - my parents always told us, "If you're gonna drink, do it here at home so you won't get into trouble!" so it just wasn't the "forbidden fun" a lot of kids had.

Wait, let's see - I would've been married to my ex - he was a big tightwad so I'm betting we stayed home and did not much! LOL!

 

[Sammy86]

Went out with five of my very good friends...split 21 shots I ended up having 12...drank ALOT of beer went to my favorite diner and had a quesadilla and slice of blue berry pie on the house because my favorite waitress hooked me up!

Don't remember anything after the 2nd beer after the shots...all of this story is hearsay...don't even remember what bar we went to in the Bronx...otherwise great birthday!

 

[Barley_Bob]

I was in Ramadi for my 21st (and 20th, for that matter). After I finished my shift, I sat alone on my cot drinking cans of BMC which we had been given for the Marine Corps birthday (although I was in the Army). I'd been issued two and I had traded away slim-jims to get a bunch from guys who didn't drink. I also had some rum which had been smuggled to me in apple cider containers. Pity party for one please!

 

[Fedora]

You're going to give the trophy to the liar?

Ha! Say what you will. It's locked in the spank bank for life.

 

[Snowden]

Went to my girlfriend's (future wife's) cousin's wedding. Open bar, dude! It was a great time.

However, what made it extra fun was that both the bride and groom had graduated from the university where I was enrolled. They and their bridal party kept finding me and making me do shots with them.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZNcAdl7lD0[/ame]

 

[govner1]

It was 47 years ago!

 

[1977Brewer]

Ha! Say what you will. It's locked in the spank bank for life.

Right where imaginary things belong.

I kid.

 

[Natdavis777]

Went to a bar, shot some pool, had a cheap burrito around 3AM. My dad tried letting the two cocker spaniels out of their gate from the neighbors house because they never shut up, but ended up passing out in the yard. 21st b-days were kinda boring, but bachelor parties on the other hand...

 

[slym2none]

I was sick with the flu.

 

[nzeman20]

I never drank alcohol until I was 21. It was a decision I made early on and I stuck to it. So my 21st was at Breckenridge Brewery with my girlfriend (now wife) and my family. I ordered a flight of samplers and remember thinking beer was pretty bitter but okay. Fast-forward 6 years and I currently have 4 different batches of beers kegged or fermenting in my basement. I guess you could say the taste of beer grew on me.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Legal drinking age was still 18 in TX & OK, at that time I lived close enough to the state lines to make beer runs when I was 16, so turning 21 wasn't a big deal for me. I was in the military on my 21st & was busy making time with a nice redheaded girl in West Germany; I remember we shared a really nice Italian wine, skipped dinner & went right to dessert.
Regards, GF.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

I will try to tell you what I remember.

Ate a mistake of a meal, KFC had this thing that was like 5 bucks and was gross, and I ate it.

Anyway got to the bar, bouncer was checking IDs, tells me I can't get in. Siblings giggle, and he says he's serious. My brother says wait you can't drink on your birthday now. He pulls his phone out and apologizes saying it's been a long week. We laugh and go in.

OK so for drinks, I remember having a PBR and splitting pitchers of I want to say Sam Adams? Maybe something else. I don't remember, it was better than Yeungling, but not anything too fancy. And I had a ton of shots thrown at me. Cement mixer, 3 wise men, straight tequila, some other ones as well. I know there were more, but I can't quite remember. Night was over when I spilled a water just put on the table. Wound up puking in my car, had to clean it the next day. Smelled like puke for about a month. It was rough.

I got my brother back on his bachelor party.

 

[kh54s10]

On or about my 18th birthday Connecticut lowered the drinking age from 21 to 18.... A little after my 21st birthday the state of Connecticut raised the drinking age back to 21. I MADE OUT!!!!

Now I live in Rhode Island, we have the highest marijuana and prescription drug abuse of the nation!!!! Including the states where Marijuana is legal....

I am not included in either category. Pot is way out of my monetary budget......

Other than that 21 was so long ago..................................................................................................

 

[MaxStout]

I lived in South Dakota then (1970s), and they had a dual drinking age: 18 for 3.2 beer, 21 for everything else. There were "taverns" that just served low-point beer, and regular bars that served high-point beer, wine and liquor.

So I got to do this twice. And both times, friends took me out to drink, and none of the places carded me. Where was this casual carelessness in checking IDs when I was underage?

 

[Michigan_Wolfman]

For my twenty first, my then girlfriend brought three other girls to my apartment. Yea, it was that kind of party. I didn't go out.

Lucky! :rockin:

 

[ol-hazza]

well i celebrated my 18th in the UK while I was still 17. Party at my rugby clubs clubrooms. We had all been drinking in the pubs for a couple of years due to stupidly loose law enforcement in that part of the world at that time.

My actual 18th was spent on a plane from LA to New Zealand, lasted a couple of hours due to the international date line, but knocked back a bottle of bubbly to celebrate.

Once in NZ we celebrate 21sts even though the drinking age is 18. me n a buddy got half of the captain cook tavern in Dunedin fenced off and put a bar tab on. chaos followed, did 21 shots of which about 7-8 were straight spirits of some kind and the rest were cocktails.

I tried to have a 3 some with my girl and one of my best mates who is female. Girlfriend wasn't keen and ran away, mate laughed at me for being a dick.

At some stage I was vomiting blood.

I'm much more sensible now.

 

[Craigmn]

I had a broken arm and went to the local Irish style pub and had two pints of Guinness. It was pretty lame

 

[dkwolf]

Where was this casual carelessness in checking IDs when I was underage?

My best friend (and my captain on the fire department) used to drive to the next town over to buy beer in high school; wherever it was he went never carded anyone. The day he turned 21, he went in and bought some..and they carded him. He said the look on their face when they realized they'd been serving him underage for 2-3 years was priceless.

 

[GrainToGlass]

For my 21st birthday my family treated me to a Jimmy Buffett concert on the exact day of my birthday. My brother-in-law and I started the morning off with shots of rum in the hotel room before stumbling into the breakfast bar like drunk idiots. After a good much needed nap, we all went to a restaurant where I had a super strong Long Island iced tea thanks to the acknowledging waitress. Finally, we head over to the show. Waiting in line for beer, I loudly expressed my disappointment on the selection. All macro brews. A German guy behind me also shared the same opinion. I tried speaking the little German I know, but failed miserably haha. I bought a 64oz cup of Corona and danced and sang with the crowd. It was a great time. I got back to the hotel and did a couple more shots with everyone until eventually puking it all out into the toilet. Mission accomplished.