non-alcoholic beer and children

[Casual Storm]

Do you think it is ok for children to drink non-alcoholic beer? If so, at what age?
This is a question I have been pondering...and no, I haven't given my ds any, but I can't seem to come to a conclusion. On one hand, the beer is non-alcoholic, so allowing it on occasion at home doesn't seem any different than allowing him to have a rootbeer as a treat. On the other hand, the idea just makes me feel uncomfortable and for some reason I cannot pinpoint it.
Of course, a major problem would occur if someone saw him drinking it or smelled beer on his breath, and didn't know it was non-alcoholic. That would be a pandora's box I definitely wouldn't want to open.
Any thoughts?

[artgoddess]

I think not, and this is why. The first few times in my life I tried beer, I hated the taste. I think when I was 8 or something I begged my dad to let me sip, and I promptly gaged. I wasn't crazy about it when I tried it again as a teenager at a party either.

Beer is an aquired taste. I would do nothing to get your son used to the taste of beer before he's an adult.

[Leilalu]

yep, ITA with the previous pster. Thats exactly what happened wioth my brother and I and my dad. I stll hate beer. Give me a ginger beer anyday!
You're better off getting him used to the taste of natural sodas ands such, or better yet, fizzy calistogas. DD loves calistoga Especially with orange juice. non-alcholic beer is just empty calories and candida overgrowth waiting to happen.

[weebitty2]

even non-alcoholic beer has a small concentration of alcohol .. it's something like .5% by volume (less than some cough syrups!) but it's still a little bit.

On occasion we've let the kids have a sip or two of beer, but never given them their own. Although once. . . ds DID get the dog completely drunk. :LOL (He put the water bowl under the keg from my sister's barbecue and kept refilling it from the keg tap)

[onlyzombiecat]

I would also say no. It has more negatives than positives for a child to consume.

Beer is an aquired taste. Getting used to the taste young would make it easy to slip into drinking normal beer earlier.
It really is just low alcohol beer.
It has calories without any nutritional value.


http://www.drugs.indiana.edu/publs/f...004-screen.pdf

[UnschoolnMa]

It wouldn't bother me. I have no problem with them developing a taste for beer (drinking the alcoholic kind when they are older) either. I don't think that tons of kids really like the taste though Alcohol used to be used medicinally and I don't worry much about it, esp in non alcoholic types.

[Marsupialmom]

How do you feel about kids having alcohol (wine) for religious purposes? Do you feel uncomfortable with this?

Is your discomfort because beer is often promoted and taught as being bad and evil? Anti-alcohol ads (Commercial imagery) is really negative and mostly beer products. How many times do you see “Don’t Drink and Drive” with beer cans verses wine glasses?

Did you know that real vanilla extract has to be 35% alcohol by volume. Yet, nobody is worried about our kids getting sips or gum rubs of this and going down the road of alcoholism.

People often use wine in our foods. This can lead to strong wine flavorings. Wine can be a developed taste yet nobody says you are an evil parent for cooking and developing your child’s taste buds to like wine. No one will say you are leading your child to alcoholism.

People also use beer in their foods (try it in pork and beans and bar-b-que sauce). There can be quite a taste of beer but people don't say this is evil or promoting early drinking by helping your child develop a taste for it.

So would I hand my kid a non-beer and say have at it? NO. Our laws says it is illegal. I want to teach drinking responsible. I find it a conflicting message by saying you should be responsible but then break the law. I personally do not see that teaching responsibility. **It is not illegal to drink non-beers in all states. That would change my possition some if I was in a state were I would not have to break the law to do it.

[Casual Storm]

Thanks everyone for the answers. I wanted to clarify that I was thinking of what to do if my ds liked the taste of beer (ie. had a taste of my dh's beer and wanted more). That started me wondering about non-alcoholic beer.

I didn't know non-alcoholic beer was illegal to those below the legal drinking age.

Editied because I answered my own question.

[velochic]

Your post reminded me of the in-laws in Turkey. My husband's cousin has a little boy who is now 12 years old or so. From the age of 3 he would dip his fingers in his father's Scotch and then lick them. They think nothing of this kind of thing. When something becomes taboo, it makes it all the more enticing. I say let them have a sip, but don't go overboard. Then you can teach them that it's not like water or juice and explain responsible drinking of alcohol when they get older. It's a tricky subject, so I understand your concern. I know for a fact that in France, older kids get watered-down wine with their meals sometimes. Last month back in Turkey, our 15 year old niece had a beer with the rest of us, but it was a social occasion and not the norm. I'm sure everyone has a different take on this, but I see no harm in letting kids have a smell or very small sip. I remember my mom telling me that they used whisky on teething kids' gums. My 75 year old Pentecostal, religious-as-can-be great-aunt still swears by whisky for teething kids.