[sf-lug] [L]UGs and brew pubs and "bars", under 21 folks, etc.

[Michael Paoli]

> Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:27:35 -0700
> From: Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com>
> To: sf-lug at linuxmafia.com
>
> institution of pubs that the UK and Eire have.  Unfortunately, dumb
> liquor laws mean that otherwise fine places to meet in the back rooms of
> pubs are off-limits to attendees under age 21.[1]  Some Linux groups
> have tried to hold events in brewpubs (e.g., Bay Area Debian's meeting
> at the Dutch Goose, just downhill from my house), only to hear
> (understandable) complaints from underage members.

Well, it doesn't hurt to do some (double) checking in many cases.
Between law/license, policy, etc. sometimes things can be a bit
surprising ... and sometimes in good useful ways.  E.g. many places one
might mostly think of as a pub or brew pub, are enough of a restaurant
that they don't prohibit - or fully prohibit - those under 21 years of
age.

Not sure if it's still the case, but, e.g. Triple Rock in Berkeley:
http://bad.debian.net/list/2003-June/002056.html
http://bad.debian.net/list/2003-June/002049.html
I'm not certain, but Pacific Coast Brewing Company in Oakland may be
quite similar (BAD also met there quite a number of times), as may be
21st Amendment in San Francisco (I think BAD also met there at least
once).

The "non-binding" part of BAD's Shotgun Rules document:
http://bad.debian.net/shotgun_rules.txt
also has many useful suggestions on what makes a good meeting place,
etc.