To Beer or Not to Beer?

Got into an interesting conversation on Twitter last night started by Craft Pittsburgh Magazine.
(shameless plug: I write the Cooking with Beer feature for this fantabulous new Craft Beer magazine that is available at a lot of great bars in & around the area. If you're into beer & into Pittsburgh grab one. Its a great read & my recipes are pretty awesome)

It all started with this Tweet:
Would you let your teen drink #craftbeer as a way to learn respect for alcohol, before they're pressured into binge drinking by peers? 14 hours ago · reply · retweet · favorite


It was a lively and interesting conversation with a couple people with some different opinions. But it stuck in my head, as some things will do upon occasion.  I will preface with this as well: I do not now nor do I ever plan to have children.  I also am not telling anyone how to raise theirs ~ it's quite frankly none of my damn business what anyone chooses to do with or to their kids. That being said I am an intelligent human being who is also entitled to have an opinion about whatever I would like to.

I'm a pretty decent arguer. I dont get personal (most of the time) and can argue my points intelligently and thankfully those that were participating in this back & forth were as well.  What it came down to was 2 very different perspective on the topic of introducing kids to alcohol early.

If the parents take the initiative to make responsible alcohol consumption a part of their growing up you de-taboo it, make it less of a "big deal" when they get into peer pressure situations and therefore greatly reduce the chances of your kid having issues with the teenage binge drinking that we all know occurs. If you teach them about things like Craft Beer, teach them to appreciate it and respect it, you will, by default, teach them to be responsible about it. Appreciation + Knowledge = Responsibility. I know this isnt a fail safe way of looking at it at all; some people will abuse alcohol no matter the amount of education or knowledge you try to impart - but I would also assume that as a parent who knows their child that you would also know if your child has tendencies toward that kind of addictive behavior.  This theory is based up on a "normal" parenting situation; the parents drink responsibly and not in excess and they would want to impart these same values in their kids.

The comparisons offered here were mostly food related.  You develop your pallet throughout your life based on what you are exposed to and what you experience. This is true for food, beer, wine, liquor and the earlier you start the more developed the pallet will be. Some said this was an invalid argument, but it isnt. If you teach a child from toddler age that there is more to food than peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and American cheese you will teach them to eat real food and develop life-long eating habits that revolve around a balanced diet ~ not McDonalds. The same can be said for alcohol. If you teach from their teen years responsible consumption you will create life-long habits about drinking behaviors and the taste for quality over quantity.

The opposing argument was less about the social responsibility of earlier education, we were all pretty much in agreement about that, and more to the end that teenagers couldnt appreciate the nuances of craft beer specifically without the binge drinking of their youth. That in order to appreciate the best you had to experience the worst. This is flawed logic to me. I didnt have to drink Mad Dog to appreciate the aroma & flavor of a delicious Bordeaux; I dont have to drink Old English to appreciate an Orval. I can refer back to my boss' kids. All three were taught about beer at a very early age, it wasnt taboo, they were allowed to try it and find out what they liked and what they didnt. Two of them are in college now and neither is particularly interested in Frat Boy Keggers. Yes...they will still go because thats what college kids do...but they cant stomach drinking flat Coors Light from a warm keg in any kind of excess. They have an appreciation for & have developed a pallet for good beer. With this comes better control, better decision making and removes the desire to drink until they black out on some shitty Macro.

In the opinion of my opposed debaters development of the pallet & a more nuanced education about alcohol and the social responsibility of teaching about safe alcohol consumption were 2 totally different subjects; in my mind they are not. One in turn breeds the other. If you teach about flavor, aroma, quality and the nuances of any alcohol, craft beer for this particular argument, you will teach respect for the beverage and its effects on an individual, respect for the beverage will equate to more responsible choices which will lead to less binge drinking by teenagers.

I never got into this part on twitter because, well, 1) I was tired and it was late, 2) I honestly grew tired of the illogical place the discussion was headed - debates are only fun to me when both sides are argued logically and 3) hard to express a full opinion in 140 characters; But I can equate this argument to sex education.  Is it better to teach abstinence ~ cross your fingers and hope like hell your kids listen to you and do what you know you yourself probably didnt no matter what your parents told you or to teach them about honest sex education and give them the tools to make sure they are safe and understand the risks & consequences involved with doing what you know they are going to do anyway?

Yes...it would be lovely if it was as easy as telling them "no sex until you're married" and "no drinking until you're 21"...but be realistic. Did you do that? Did you wait until you were married to have sex? Did you not let a sip of alcohol pass your lips before your 21st birthday? For a few folks yes, both of those statements may be true...but for most of us, myself included, they are both so totally false they hurt. So knowing that, knowing that no matter what you say to your kids they are going to go on thinking they are invincible, you as the adult have NO idea what you're talking about and they know what is best for themselves (and you know that's what they're thinking...its what we all thought when we were 13-18) would you blindly hope they are smart enough to figure it out on their own or do you arm them as best you can to make sure they are equipped to make the most intelligent decisions a teenager can make?

To me it seems smarter to arm them, to give them as much info as you can going out there so they can make smart, educated decisions. I know thats what my parents did to the best of their ability. I know that I was able to make better decisions because of it. I also know that I was painfully aware of the consequences of the decisions I made from my teen years forward because they told me & after some minor trial and error, nothing too serious mind you, I learned they were right.

I know it isnt a black & white issue at all and everyone must make the best decisions they can for their families and their children based upon what they believe and the individuals involved. I just happen to think that making rules in absolutes, like no drinking until you're 21 and no sex until you are married, is an invitation to any rebellious teenager to do the exact opposite and that turning those topics into a discussion would be a more effective way of letting them make better decisions on their own without even realizing its what you wanted for them in the first place.

So, dear reader, is it best that I dont plan to reproduce & release upon this world a drunk-ass sex fiend or is my line of reasoning sound?