A small question about Alcohol in Britain. Sorry for not knowing something like this but meh....

Is there an age limit to buying booze in the UK? I really don't want to write something and then have to delete it because I am a moron and don't know what the hell I am saying.

Then again, he is Harry Potter, he should get all the booze he wants!

 

Under 5 - May only be give alcohol on medical order.

5 and over - May consume alcohol, e.g. at home. It is only illegal for those aged 5-18 to drink alcohol on licensed premises (without meeting other licensing requirements).

Under 14 - May not be present in the bar of licensed premises unless accompanied by a person over 28 and it is before 9pm.

14 and over - May be in the bar of licensed premises during permitted hours at licensee's discretion.

16 and over - May purchase beer, porter, cider, or perry with a meal in an eating area on licensed premises (In Scotland wine also). May not be employed in bar of a licensed premises, unless as part of a Modern Apprenticeship Scheme.

Under 18 - May not purchase or be supplied with or consume alcohol in a bar. Police have powers to confiscate alcohol from under 18s drinking in public and to contact their parents. Licensees and staff of licensed premises have a positive duty not to sell alcohol unless they are reasonably certain that the purchaser is not under the age of 18.

Over 18 - Buy anything you want.

 

So you need to be at least 18 to go to a store/shop/whatever to buy a 6-pack? Correct?

 

That is correct. I threw the rest in just in case you wanted to know.

 

Alright, thanks for the other info as well, it will probably come in handy one day or another.

-Void

 

That's really interesting. They can purchase a pint so long as they take it with a meal. That's pretty similar to how it was in the Bahamas while I was there, makes sense since it is a part of the Commonwealth. I'm not sure if it was the law or if people just didn't care but while I lived in the Bahamas, if you were over 14 you could drink in the bar/restaurant but you could not buy. In other words, if your parfent or guardian bought it you were allowed to have it. It seems a pretty sensible way to do it really, having the parents monitor their child's intake. Encourages responsible behavior.

 

You mean I could have been having a pint with food since i was 14?!? What a gip! Why is that law not read to people in school? In its full context? The most I got was that you couldn't drink before 18 (though my parents were pretty leniant and the spirits cupboard wasn't locked).

Anyhow, now that I know that I'm gonna go get my little brother's friend drunk cause it'd be fucking hilarious to see. (He's the kind of person that would hit himself if you told him to, and he does - Am I cruel because of that?)

 

The exception to the law is if someone is the son/daughter of the owner or proprietor or landlord/lady in which case they are permitted to be behind the bar and serve themselves any alcohol they want, so long as they pay for it, but not to serve other people or even give the person working the bar a glass to serve someone a pint, but drinking is fine.

 

British laws about alcohol are very leniant compared to American liquor laws. But despite the fact that America has the age 21 limit, the laws are not strictly enforced. I was buying Bud Light and Makers Mark Bourbon when I was 14 and without a fake ID.

 

Based on my own adolescence, I'll have to dispute the claim that the alcohol laws are laxly enforced in America -- maybe it depends on your location but I was rarely able to buy without being carded before I turned about 25 or so. Local cops *lived* to bust our parties, and only about 1/2 of my friends were able to make it to their 21st birthday withough acquiring an MIP along the way.

Fourteen? One of my buddies when I was a kid could grow a full beard and had chest hair when we were 14/15 (we called him "Sasquatch") and we used him to buy our beer. If he wasn't available we were reduced to raiding the folks' liquor cabinet or going without... Still, unless you grew up on an Indian reservation I'm wondering how you were able to buy liquor without a fake ID.

 

The Liquor store I bought from was owned and run by foreigners. They did not give a damn about your age because they just wanted to make money. We (My friends and I) usually threw farm/field parties to avoid the cops. I am from Kentucky too, and it's not exactly hard to get booze here. To buy beer underage, you simply have to know where you can buy it at.

 

I would suggest that this thread is locked...it's a thread asking about a British law, which means that it will inevitably, sooner or later, turn into a Mord vs. America thread

The original poster has got his information, now we should back away and let the thread die before it starts convulsing.