# I'm 17 and can't drink O'Doul's.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [February 25, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014 "2004-02-25T01:41:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Freiheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freiheit)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/1 "2004-02-25T01:41:44Z")
On lunch break today, a friend and I went to Safeway. After a corndog and jojos, I got the idea of trying some non-alcoholic beer. (To drink after school–even non-alc, it would be foolish to drink it in class.) We chose a random brand, and brought a pair to the checkout.
“Do you have ID?” he asks.
“It’s non-alcoholic,” I clarify.
“Well, you still need to be 18.”
This is ridiculous. My state has chosen **not** to give teens an alternative to drinking. Brilliant, Oregon. And it implies that it’s OK to get wasted by drinking gallons of this stuff, as long as I’m 18.
What BAC would be ‘buzzed?’ Let’s take a conservative 0.05. Now according to [this cool nurse](http://www.coolnurse.com/alcohol_calculator.htm), If I drank an entire 6-pack of O’Doul’s in one hour, my BAC would be “negligible.” To achieve 0.05 BAC, I would have to drink a heroic _six times that amount–_ thirty-six bottles or 482 ounces. In one hour. And the nurse still says
> [@](#):
>
> You are not legally intoxicated
Way to drive us toward illegal drinking, Oregon.
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/2 "2004-02-25T01:47:39Z")
Try another clerk. Some people make an _ass_umption and then when questioned they clam up and wing it (they pretend they are right and continue to refuse beer)
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/3 "2004-02-25T02:15:44Z")
I can’t drink O’Douls either, and it’s not because of my age. Gak. All the nasty taste of beer, none of the fun side-effects.
Still, odds are that you can legally buy and drink O’Douls in Oregon, and the checker you had was just a moron.
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### Author:  [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/4 "2004-02-25T02:17:02Z")
Kids today are so disappointing. Back in my day, we’d fake ID it or get someone who looked amenable to buy beer for us! And we LIKED IT!
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### Author:  [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/5 "2004-02-25T02:29:19Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Who doesn’t - or shouldn’t - drink [non-alcoholic beer] is another issue. Even though these are by definition non-alcoholic brews, **most states** - though not Massachusetts - **prohibit sales to people under age 21.** For example, Pennsylvania law makes it a summary offense to “intentionally and knowingly sell or furnish non-alcoholic beverages to any person under 21”. ‘Non-alcoholic beverage’ is defined as any beverage intended to be sold as non-alcoholic beer, wine, or liquor. The Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission does not get involved with NAs; in fact, Massachusetts laws governing NA beers and wines fall under the Commonwealth’s food purity laws.
[http://www.beveragebusiness.com/art-arch/bryson01.html](http://www.beveragebusiness.com/art-arch/bryson01.html)
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### Author:  [@Vlad\_Igor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vlad_Igor)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/6 "2004-02-25T02:32:16Z")
Geeze, why did the Puritans have to screw things up for us so much? Europe doesn’t have these problems because they know and respect alcohol more than we’re allowed to here.
“Oregon non-alcoholic beer” on Google comes up with this:
[http://www.ora.org/Magazine/pdfs/main\_ingredient\_pdfs/0403%20\_pg30-31.pdf](http://www.ora.org/Magazine/pdfs/main_ingredient_pdfs/0403%20_pg30-31.pdf)
The point made here is that, yes, minors can consume NA beer, but there’s no way for an observer (or law enforcement) to **verify** that the minor is actually in posession of NA beer in a bar or restaurant. So, unless there’s a fool-proof way for the alcohol content of a beverage on the spot, people will be very wary of selling NA beer to minors for fear of being cited by the OLCC or other agency.
Vlad/Igor
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### Author:  [@Freiheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freiheit)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/7 "2004-02-25T02:34:22Z")
> [@Miller](#):
>
> I can’t drink O’Douls either, and it’s not because of my age. Gak. All the nasty taste of beer, none of the fun side-effects.
>
> Still, odds are that you can legally buy and drink O’Douls in Oregon, and the checker you had was just a moron.
I’ve had O’Doul’s, and it was a meh-beer. Tasted like Coors or Miller (no offense 😉 ) I picked one that looked like it might be premium near-beer (oxymoron?)
I wondered if it was just an idiot checker, but I went to another grocery store later on (the refusal really encouraged me…) and was told, again, I must be 18.
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### Author:  [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/8 "2004-02-25T02:41:11Z")
> [@Miller](#):
>
> I can’t drink O’Douls either, and it’s not because of my age. Gak. All the nasty taste of beer, none of the fun side-effects.
I have to correct you. All the nasty taste of **shitty** beer.
Some beer is good. Don’t forget that.
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### Author:  [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/9 "2004-02-25T02:44:34Z")
> [@Vlad/Igor](#):
>
> Geeze, why did the Puritans have to screw things up for us so much? Europe doesn’t have these problems because they know and respect alcohol more than we’re allowed to here.
The Puritans? What do they have to do with anything?
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### Author:  [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/10 "2004-02-25T03:02:24Z")
> [@Vlad/Igor](#):
>
> Geeze, why did the Puritans have to screw things up for us so much? Europe doesn’t have these problems because they know and respect alcohol more than we’re allowed to here.
Don’t blame the [Puritans](http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol-info/FunFacts/PuritansToProhibition.html), they drank their fair share. Blame the Baptists and the Methodists.
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### Author:  [@Lynne\_kilii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynne_kilii)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/11 "2004-02-25T03:55:37Z")
It’s not a stupid checker (or waitress or bartender). So-called Non-Alcoholic beer has a negligable amount of alcohol in it, and therefore cannot be sold to minors. You can make the argument that Nyquil (or whatever) has alcohol in it, which is true, but the fact remains, you still cannot sell non-alcoholic beer simply because it is not truely alcohol free.
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### Author:  [@Freiheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freiheit)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/12 "2004-02-25T04:15:04Z")
> [@Lynne\_kilii](#):
>
> It’s not a stupid checker (or waitress or bartender). So-called Non-Alcoholic beer has a negligable amount of alcohol in it, and therefore cannot be sold to minors. You can make the argument that Nyquil (or whatever) has alcohol in it, which is true, but the fact remains, you still cannot sell non-alcoholic beer simply because it is not truely alcohol free.
This issue is obviously different from that of high-alc beverages. You seem to be saying that they’re all the same–any alcohol, all the restictions. It’s different – see the Oregon age 18. Drinking ages are federally imposed (in the form of highway funds, IIRC) but the federal gov’t doesn’t say anything about the NA beers.
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### Author:  [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/13 "2004-02-25T04:42:20Z")
What’s the point of non-alcoholic beer?? 😕😕 Don’t tell me you actually like how it _taste_ , cause that would be just sick.
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### Author:  [@Freiheit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freiheit)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/14 "2004-02-25T04:46:02Z")
> [@RandomLetters](#):
>
> What’s the point of non-alcoholic beer?? 😕😕 Don’t tell me you actually like how it _taste_ , cause that would be just sick.
:rolleyes:
(my very first rolleyes, for a worthy cause.)
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### Author:  [@coffeecam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecam)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/15 "2004-02-25T04:50:46Z")
> [@RandomLetters](#):
>
> What’s the point of non-alcoholic beer?? 😕😕 Don’t tell me you actually like how it _taste_ , cause that would be just sick.
Thank you for reminding me that I really should go have a boot of salvatore with the guys this weekend. [homer]mmm… boot of beer.[/homer]
C
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### Author:  [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/16 "2004-02-25T06:23:27Z")
> [@RandomLetters](#):
>
> What’s the point of non-alcoholic beer?? 😕😕 Don’t tell me you actually like how it _taste_ , cause that would be just sick.
Clearly, you’ve never drunk honest-to-goodness actual beer before. Then again, I’ve never tasted a non-alcoholic beer that tasted like honest-to-goodness actual beer either, so people who LIKE beer are kind of out of luck, taste-wise, if they want to avoid the alcohol.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/17 "2004-02-25T06:57:37Z")
> [@FilmGeek](#):
>
> I have to correct you. All the nasty taste of **shitty** beer.
>
> Some beer is good. Don’t forget that.
“Shitty beer” is redundant, as far as I’m concerned. There is no such thing as good beer. I’ve had Guinness straight from the tap in a UK pub, and it was the nastiest liquid I’ve ever had in my mouth. If I’ve got to drink beer, at least give me a crappy American brand that only tastes like contaminated water. I don’t _like_ it, but at least I can choke it down without gagging. But if I’ve got a choice, I’ll take any other alcohol, no matter how rank: bad scotch, Jaegermeister, fruity umbrella drinks in novelty mugs, hell, I’ll down a bottle of ouzo and smile before I’d drink another beer.
Bleh. Beer bad.
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### Author:  [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/18 "2004-02-25T07:34:49Z")
slight hijack. Remember the candy cigarettes? When’s the last time you saw them at the store? This is just another “cause” where people will tell you what legal product you can use, and denying you NA “beer” since it isn’t good for people to use a “wrong” product.
Now, so-called NA beer does have some alcohol, so I agree it shouldn’t be sold to under-21’s. It does have some alcohol. But keep in mind, it’s the first volley of the “don’t let them have fun or choice” directed at responsible drinkers.
Taxes WILL go up on booze for this.
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### Author:  [@htns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/htns)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/19 "2004-02-25T07:42:59Z")
I’m 30, and I can drink all the rum, whiskey, and beer I want.
Jealous much, kiddies? 😃😃😃
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### Author:  [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)
#### Post date: [February 25, 2004, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-17-and-cant-drink-odouls/231014/20 "2004-02-25T07:43:32Z")
After Desert Storm, I was talking to a veteran in a bar who explained that Budweiser airlifted O’douls to the troups.
He went on to say that it IS possible to get drunk off the stuff and also relayed the math involved. Assuming one six-pack = one regular beer, you _only_ need to drink a case and a half to get the alcohol in a normal six pack. A mere three cases of O’Douls and you’ve drank the alcohol in a normal twelve pack!
He said they would end up leaving their dicks out and basically continually pee while chugging.
Seems to me the danger would be moreso from the vast amounts of water being drunk, which could lead to [hyponatremia](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/020208.html), but I don’t know. Maybe there’s enough salt in NA beer to prevent swelling of the brain.
- Disclaimer: This was a drunken bar story, take with requisite grain of salt.
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