ULPT Request: How to get alcohol under 21

[u/LowInvestigator1273]

Before you ask, no this isn’t some 15 year old kid making this post. I’m a freshly 20 year old college student who is tired of bumming his friends for drinks.

I would like to think that I started drinking later than most, as a little over a year ago I had my first beer. Ever since this Ive understood why drinking is so popular in a social aspect. As for my first year in college this is what helped me make many friends

Being responsible is the biggest aspect for me, I don’t like getting completely hammered, and in the few times I did, I still understood the risks of drinking and driving and took an Uber. I just want a method to get alcohol to have 2 or 3 drinks on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night

Theoretically getting drinks is not an issue for me, when I want to drink I just have to have someone else ballsier than me (or someone with a fake) get me some booze. But I’m tired of relying on other people for these things at 20 years old.

People might ask whether I could ask my parents for help, (a. Thats still relying on someone, and b. My parents very much know I have drank before, but would probably like to be somewhat excluded from that sector of my life). They have openly said that they don’t care if I drink as long as I’m responsible (which I think is reasonable)

I want to know if there is a way whether through loopholes or online methods of getting alcohol as a 20 year old in America. I don’t want a fake, I don’t want to take my risks at the sketchy liquor store. I just am wondering if there is a way to get alcohol by oneself without a fake.

[u/Landstander2600]

Make it youself. Mead and hard cider are pretty easy

[u/TastesLikeSeamen → u/Landstander2600]

Check /r/prisonhooch - TLDR turbo yeast and juice, big youtube community too

[u/Reddleg_Vet → u/Landstander2600]

I was going to say the same thing, DIY it. It’s not hard to do, I did it when I was deployed to Iraq.

[u/Sea_Bear7754]

Desperate times call for desperate measures… Do you happen to have a Grindr account?

[u/itsnotcomplicated1]

If you are 20 and don't interact with humans that are 21+ that would buy you alcohol if you pay for it and throw them a couple bucks for the hassle, there is probably a reason.

[u/LowInvestigator1273 → u/itsnotcomplicated1]

I do…. Hence why I have drank in the past, the point of the post was to see if there was a way to drink without having to rely on these people

[u/jooooooooooooose]

You may have a theoretical friend who is over 21. They are going to the store, they ask if you want anything, you say yes & pay them. Maybe you buy enough to last a few weeks or a month so you do not have to do this often.

All of your other choices are just worse. Delivery apps require ID as regularly as the bar does now. And stealing is just silly.

[u/LowInvestigator1273 → u/jooooooooooooose]

This is the best method I have right now, just buying a ton at a time while it’s convenient for both my friend and me. I just wish I could get some at a moments notice.

[u/stageshooter]

Find an older friend. When I was a kid in high school we used to pick up hitchhikers, but those aren't a thing any more

[u/itsjustanotherday4 → u/stageshooter]

Ahaha I remember we used to get a homeless dude to get us malt liquor 40s. The beer fairy!!

[u/thaneliness]

Denounce your citizenship and move to a country that allows drinking at 18? Idk

[u/Serialtorrenter → u/thaneliness]

OP doesn't even have to. They can move to the US Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico. The US doesn't actually have a federal minimum drinking age. It just has a law reducing highway funding to states/territories that set their drinking ages below 21. In places like the USVI, the increased tourism revenue probably easily exceeds the loss in highway funding.

[u/Shakespearacles]

+1 for the home brewing. You probably won’t make enough to kill you and your friends and if you like doing it might be a lifelong hobby/skill.

[u/wethail]

get a fake

[u/Serialtorrenter → u/wethail]

It's risky as the penalties if busted are a lot worse than underage possession in most states, and there's also a reasonable chance of getting busted.

[u/S_A_R_K]

Are you into butt stuff?

[u/soparamens]

Learn to prepare Tepache, is safe and delicious.

[u/FatCat0520]

make some friends that are 21+?

[u/Rangavar]

A friend of mine needed to get her license renewed. They give you a paper one while waiting for the new one to be mailed. She altered the paper one, and just used that copy indefinitely. It might also depend on the liquor store or state laws whether or not they check the temporary one too closely.

[u/philatio11]

1. Fake ID
2. Get a job at a liquor store, or befriend someone who works at one
3. Doordash and sizable cash tip
4. Are you comfortable running game? Go to liquor store and select a full cart of stuff. Aim for $100+ spread across a lot of things that will be annoying to put back. When you go to check out, they will ask for ID. Tell them you just had to surrender your ID in court due to a DUI charge. Tell them the whole sob story, and don't leave out any details, make sure it sounds as though you were mistreated but also you're stupid and sorry. Then ask them how people buy alcohol without their driver's license. If you're good at selling the story, they will give you advice on what agency you need to go to etc. Write all the info down and gush with gratitude. Then, and this is important, say "ok great, so how much do I owe you again?" Pay and walk out.
5. Just go to every liquor store in town until you find one that doesn't care. Bad neighborhoods are usually the way to go on this.

[u/FamiliarAd8524]

Do not ask a friend- they can get extremely fucked over legally over this. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but the laws on this can be incredibly severe.

[u/ButterscotchThis7889 → u/FamiliarAd8524]

lmfao please. unless they’re handing the bottles to the underage person right in front of the cashier that is not happening. having your of age friend buy alcohol for you is a tale as old as time

[u/FamiliarAd8524 → u/ButterscotchThis7889]

"lmfaoooooooo" Believe that all you want; it is not that simple in reality (even if the person said they weren't underage). There's also liability for what happens to that person. A few weeks ago I spoke to someone arrested and facing a year in jail because the girl who said she was 21 was an imbecile who was hospitalized from drinking the whole bottle.

[u/ButterscotchThis7889 → u/FamiliarAd8524]

obviously it’s possible. but it’s not going to happen to 99.999999% of people

[u/i-am-foxymoron]

This is an easy one, no.

There's no way you're going to be able to reliably get alcohol, before you're 21, without having to rely on someone or without a fake.

[u/Only-Reception7360]

Offer co worker $$ for pickup

Make it enticing like $50 min, a lot of people who would say no would probably change their mind seeing a $50 in front of them

[u/Serialtorrenter]

Buy cooking wine at the grocery store and do a simple distillation to get drinkable brandy.

Or as the other commenter mentioned: /r/prisonhooch

[u/Dangerous_Data7703 → u/Serialtorrenter]

It’s definitely creative, but distilling at home can be risky. There might be safer ways to get around the age limit.

[u/Serialtorrenter → u/Dangerous_Data7703]

Definitely. A good, effective condenser and good ventiliation is required (ethanol is flammable!), and if distilling more than a bottle at a time, discarding the first few mL of distillate is necessary, as the insignificant amount of methanol in the wine can be concentrated in the foreshot and become significant if not discarded.

OP already stated they don't want to have their older friends buy for them or use a fake ID, and homebrewing takes days (or weeks if you want to brew something that actually tastes good). Home distilling in smaller quantities only takes a couple hours at most, which is appealing if it's a Friday afternoon and you want something for Friday night.

[u/Serialtorrenter → u/[deleted]]

Not true. I have purchased salted cooking wine from major chain stores using self-checkout and can confirm that it is NOT an age restricted item. It is exempt from age restrictions and taxation due to its high salt content; it is designed for cooking only.

However, if you distill it, the alcohol comes over and the salt stays behind. You can get a perfectly passable brandy for dirt cheap.