Daily Dose of Sultnpapper 04/29/18 > When did you have your first beer or drink?
Tuesday is a big day around the sultnpapper clan place; the younger of our two boys is turning sixteen. We did a surprise birthday party for him on Saturday, he never saw it coming, and that is how surprise parties are supposed to work. He thought he was carrying pizzas in to a girls scout party that his mother is a troop leader for; the look was priceless when he figured out what was up.
Him turning sixteen is the whole reason for the question, when did you have your first beer or drink?He has been after me for the last week or so to let him try one of my ice cold Corona’s that are in the fridge.
I am 62 years old, I had my first beer when I was twelve, so I have been drinking now right at 50 years. Right now a twelve pack will last me sometimes a month, I enjoy a beer very infrequently, but there were times when a twelve pack wouldn’t even get me through a half of an evening when I was a young buck.
My first beer was actually given to me by a neighbor of ours back then. Those neighbors were into oval track stock car racing at the time and I spent a lot of my free time in the summers helping them over in their garage working on their race car. Our house was on a portion of the road that had a very steep incline from the house to the street so our driveway came in from a side street and up to the back of the house and garage. This neighbor’s house was actually behind our property and so our backyards were adjacent each other.
Those neighbors liked to drink PBR, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer in long neck bottles, nothing like red necks with long necks. I understand now that PBR is the choice of the hipsters of today, so I was hip before hip was even a thing, because I grew up on PBR. That was also my Dad’s beer of choice as well. Once all the work on the race car was done the neighbors would break out some ice cold PBR’s and I was always allowed to drink a beer or two, well I was allowed by the neighbor anyway, my parents didn’t know I was drinking at the time.
One evening my Dad pulled in after work and happened to see me tipping up a cold one, I was busted big time. After he parked his car he walked over to the fence and luckily for me the neighbor took charge of the conversation. He told my Dad, “Mr. Papper before you get mad at Sulty, let me explain, and if there is anyone to be mad at that would be me.” So my Dad was always a reasonable man and he was willing to listen.
“Your son works pretty damn hard over here with us on the race car, even though he’s only twelve he works just like a man and so I didn’t believe it would be a problem for him to have a beer with us when we finished our work for the evening.” said the neighbor. My Dad responded with, “Really, he’s working like a man with ya’ll?”
“Yes, sir he is. He can take the rear ring and pinion gear out of the rear end of that race car and replace it all by himself. Honestly, that’s a pretty nasty job that you get really greasy and dirty doing but he doesn’t mind one bit doing it and he doesn’t complain even when it’s 100 degrees in the shade.” he continued on before my Dad could even say a word, “ I won’t let him come home tipsy, two beers is his limit with us and honestly, you wouldn’t even know he’d been drinking if you hadn’t seen him tip that bottle up.”
My Dad was reasonable like I said, he told the neighbor that as long as I earned the beer I was drinking with them and I didn’t come home tipsy I was good to go on the PBR. He warned the neighbor and me though that when I did come home a little lit that I was done with both the beer and helping on the race car. That was a more than fair deal for all of us in my opinion. So, I slowly worked my up and my tolerance for beers and I think that served me well, at least for my high school years.
By the time I turned sixteen it was nothing to have beers at the house with the family, watching the NFL on TV and sipping on a cold one or even having a beer with dinner. Even Mrs. Papper was good with it, she didn’t drink at all but she wasn’t opposed to me drinking responsibly. Mom would even pick me up beers to take with me when I was high school for parties that I was going too. I can remember a couple times when the milk had to sit on the kitchen table for an hour or so in order to make room in the fridge so the beer would be cold when my friends came by to pick me up when we were going out.
I waited until the oldest boy was eighteen before I gave him his first beer and I think that was a mistake on my part, luckily though he didn’t like the taste. That might be because he’s adopted, I can’t think of any red blooded Papper family male that doesn’t like a cold beer and that’s going back a couple generations, all the uncles and cousins are beer drinkers. I have a feeling that this youngster is going to have a natural liking for the flavor so I might as well get him on a program of drinking for taste rather than a buzz.
The “law” says twenty one to drink alcoholic beverages, yet the same people who write the laws say that eighteen is old enough to be possibly forced into the military to fight in some god forsaken part of the world so that the industrial military complex we call the USA can continue to screw with people in foreign countries. There is several things wrong with that picture but that is for another day to discuss.
Any number that is attached to anything having to do with age is an arbitrary number, so I don’t believe that age should be a part of the equation when it comes to drinking. If you are twelve and can drink responsibly I think that is okay, if you are a slobbering staggering drunk then you need to be locked up until you can sleep it off, and that goes for any age 12 or 102. The biggest problem is not facing the situation head on and taking the bull by the horns, Tuesday evening I think we will go out to eat like we normally do on family birthdays and I’ll stop and pick up the nastiest tasting beer I can think of on the way home.
I will tell him that special occasions call for “special beer” and his birthday is a special occasion, I hope to hell he doesn’t like the taste and decides he wants nothing to do with beer and drinking, otherwise I am going to have to keep a close eye on my Corona’s in the fridge.
So, what are some of your suggestions for a nasty tasting beer and when did you have your first beer or drink?
I look forward to your replies, thanks.
Until next time,
@sultnpapper
Sir, ur right.. Every other nite I stop by at my Oldest bar in Baton Rouge, and I endup explaining what's wrong with the drinking age limit.... I already feel guilty for starting this comment, cause I have more then I need materials ,to write 2,3 posts about it... but I know it won't happen... You bring up a very good point.. Ur not too young to kill, but ur too young to drink! That should make people question! I went buying drinks and packs of cigarettes, since I learned how to ride a bike, that was when I was 7..no one asked me for ID, it was not necessary, it was not for me, was for my grandpa, and because it was not an issue, it doesn't make you interested... I pickt up on drinking and smoking on my 20'in Germany... ohh FK it, you got the point... Most people won't!
When it comes to doing the government's dirty work the kids are never too young. Let the kids want to relax and have a drink and all of sudden they can't possibly decide what is right until they are 21 is bull shit at its finest.
I too can remember riding my bike to the store to get my mom and dad packs of cigarettes when I was around 9 years old, Lucky Strike was my Dad's brand, non-filtered, Mom smoked Winston's with the filters.
I say if you are old enough to have a job and pay government taxes, then you are legally old enough to drink or should be, and that age for sure is 16 , maybe even younger, but our oldest boy started working at 16 and paying taxes.
Thanks for giving us your take on it DC.
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Thank you, I think I will have a beer with youngster tonight to celebrate. His birthday and this post being included in the Daily Whistle Stop on his actual birthday.
HA! Great question.... and wow you were lucky to have a cool Dad! I had my first drink when I was about 8 but it was a tiny glass of wine at Christmas. I do however have a kinda funny story.
My daughter had just turned 16 and wanted to try drinking. I'm not a much of a drinker so I had a magnum of Champagne left from New Years. I'm sure you see where this is going. Yes....she got hammered. Yes I had to put her in the shower and "babysit" her.....and laugh my ass off. The next morning she came sheepishly down the stairs. We all loudly said good morning...LOL. With her hand on her forehead she loudly whispered, "Shhhhhh Megan learned a lesson" and then ran and threw up. My friends thought I was too liberal and out of my mind but it taught her that when you get drunk you are vulnerable.
She's 33 now and drinks responsibly. So I agree with you.... teach him how to drink at home. And enjoy a good giggle or two. LOL!!
As for a crappy tasting beer, I live in Canada and up here that would Labbat's 50. Skunk pee in bottle. LOL!! Have a good one.
Some lessons are best learned at a young age when they can really make an impression, that left over bottle of champagne probably was more valuable than you realized until looking back on it now,
I'll have to see if Labbat's 50 is available down here, if so it will be imported skunk pee in a bottle, but easier to convince him its "special". Thanks for stopping in and sharing your story.
Such cool memories. I love how often a single object can bring back scores of lovely memories for someone.
It is kinda cool the memories that beer can trigger, some good and some not so good, especially when you have a half a century of time to reflect back on with it.
Seriously I agree with that. I love ice cream and there are some not-so-pleasant memories attached to it even.
I don't doubt that one bit.
I think having a fixed age when things are "legal" ie drinking, driving getting married etc. is wrong. I think it depends on the individual. There are folks in their 50's who are irresponsible so and so's, and I have met some pretty responsible preteens. It is better if they are introduced to alcohol at home under controlled conditions. They are going to experiment anyway...
Happy Birthday to your son!
I'll pass that birthday wish on to him. I think that my idea of when you start paying taxes is when you should be legal for everything might be a good idea, there would be people in their 30's or older who wouldn't be able to drink, vote or get married.
I had my first beer at 15 and enjoyed beer pretty regularly from about 18 till a couple of years ago, on blood thinners now so no alcohol for me but some days I would love a beer LOL
There are some real good non-alcohol beer that I have drank in the past when I've had to entertain customers and would have to drive. You might try some of those if you miss the beer taste and flavor.
Coor's Cutter is my choice in the NA beers. I'm guessing 15 /16 will be the age most had their first beer so you were right in there.
I am fine without beer now I did love the taste but after 3 years I really do not miss it any more
I like my beer with chips and salsa, that can make a meal for me.
A meal of champions :)
I had my first drink when I was 17. I started dating this guy since 15 and he was 3 years older than me. I hated when he would drink. I think mostly because I felt left out. So when I found out he cheated on me, I figured why not try drinking myself? I couldn’t handle alcohol the way you could. But now that I’m older, I’m sure I could control myself.
My husband loves dark beer. I don’t like any of it. He suggested getting Nordeast in the bottle.
I have never heard of Nordeast and I'm not a fan of dark beers, I remember the first dark beer I ever had and it was named "Old Chicago Dark" , I drank one of those on a Sunday afternoon when I was at home as a teenager at dinner time. That one beer was like drinking a six pack, I was a little tipsy from it, plus I just didn't care for the taste.
I do know that I had several friends in high school that thought they could keep up with me on drinking beer that ended up sick and puking because they had no previous drinking experience, so starting young and under controlled conditions or restrictions was a benefit for me.
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I can't remember when I had my first alcoholic drink, but I remember drinking martini and lemonade at age 17 and feeling very sophisticated (I know...) and even more bizarre, enjoying Liebfraumilch at family dinners around the same time. I also liked Chartreuse and Advocaat.
A few years after that I started to enjoy the taste of Guinness. That might actually have been my first drink, because my mum says that when she was breastfeeding me, the health visitor advised her to drink a half pint of it regularly.