Patrons of Forest City Brewery in Cleveland will find shady outdoor space, an open taproom with a visible brewing system and, often, live music. But they won’t find children.
In September, the brewery banned people under the age of 16 after what Jay Demagall, an owner, described as multiple incidents in which young children caused potential safety issues.
“We had staff trying to serve tables and almost running over 2-year-olds,” he said. “We had kids climbing trees. There were many times I would walk out into the beer garden and see a kid in a tree, and instead of a parent telling them to come down, they’re taking a picture. It was extremely dangerous.”
Mr. Demagall is among dozens of brewery owners across the country who have been reconsidering their business’s relationship with children and, in some cases, banning them outright or instituting adults-only hours. These owners cited instances of children throwing rocks or running around unsupervised, staff being forced to act as babysitters, and even one occasion when a parent pulled out a travel potty for a toddler to use in front of other guests.
Breweries, often housed in large warehouses or alongside spacious outdoor areas, have earned a reputation as family-friendly destinations, places where parents can enjoy a beer while their children play. But now some owners say parents have gotten too comfortable.
In March, Icarus Brewing in Brick Township, N.J., implemented 21-and-older hours after the owner, Jason Goldstein, observed similar issues. In September, a toddler at his brewery wandered beneath a ranch-style fence and into the brewery’s parking lot. The child’s parent later emailed him a complaint.
“All I could think was: We didn’t build Guantánamo, we built a beer garden,” he said. “And if your child crawled under there, how long were they away from you? How long were you not paying attention? I don’t think this is our issue.”
The decision to turn away children — and their beer-buying parents — isn’t an easy one, said Chris Lohring, who owns Notch Brewing in Salem and Brighton, Mass. He said he received a deluge of criticism when the brewery changed its policy in November to prohibit children after 6 p.m., two hours earlier than before.
“I remember waking up one morning and thinking, ‘Wow, did I just sabotage the business?’” Mr. Lohring said. “Because we were getting so much grief for it.”
Thankfully, he said, that was not the case. “We had one of the better winters we’ve ever had.”
Mike Zoller, 38, runs a popular Instagram account about Chicago’s beer scene and points to the Millennial-driven craft beer boom of the 2010s to explain how breweries became such magnets for parents of small children.
“Ten years later, a lot of us have families, and we still like going to breweries,” he said, adding that he hosted his son’s second birthday party at Midwest Coast Brewing in Chicago. “Breweries are not bars. They’re community gathering spaces now. They’re neighborhood third spaces.”
Jenny Chang-Rodriguez, who lives in Lynbrook, N.Y., held her baby shower at Fifth Hammer Brewing in Queens, and said breweries were one of the first public places she brought her son after he was born. “It’s very scary going to a sit-down restaurant and making sure he doesn’t cry, he doesn’t scream, he doesn’t throw things,” she said.
As a new parent, the more casual atmosphere of breweries appealed to Ms. Chang-Rodriguez, 34. “There’s less pressure to make sure they behave perfectly.”
Some parents empathize with brewery owners who have had to limit the presence of children at their businesses, pointing to a few bad apples who let their kids run wild. But others feel singled out.
“Kids are the only category where we very openly, very publicly discriminate,” said Aurore Stanek-Griffiths, a 39-year-old parent in Red Hook, N.Y. “If I tell you I run a business and during certain hours people over age 50 aren’t allowed, you would be like, ‘Why?!’”
The craft beer industry faces multiple challenges. After years of rapid growth, consumer demand has slowed. More breweries closed than opened in 2024, according to the Brewers Association, a trade group. Young adults are also drinking less and choosing from a crowded market when they do crack open a beer (or a canned cocktail). Higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imports also threaten brewers’ bottom line.
Brewery owners are being forced to take a harder look at their business and hospitality models, which is likely spurring some of these no-children policy changes, said Bart Watson, the president and chief executive of the Brewers Association.
“In a city where there’s dozens of breweries, what do you do to stand out?” he said.
On Reddit, in parenting groups on WhatsApp and in the comments sections of breweries’ own social media posts, heated debates have erupted about whether breweries should restrict children. Owners who have done so stressed that they’re not “anti-kid” and that they are simply trying to keep customers safe and prevent staff from having to monitor children while they do their jobs. Most said it was a small percentage of families who caused issues.
In Colorado, two breweries that introduced no-children policies during the pandemic, when space was at a premium, said the initial transition was difficult. Customers complained and left one-star reviews online. The head brewer at High Hops Brewery in Windsor and the owner of Odyssey Beerwerks in Arvada said that while they still occasionally get negative reviews for not allowing children, customers have mostly adapted and business has improved.
But at least one brewery has found that turning away children can backfire.
Lasting Joy Brewery in Tivoli, N.Y., introduced adults-only hours during its trivia nights last year, but reverted back to an all-ages policy eight months later. “It just wasn’t very popular,” said Emily Wenner, who owns the brewery with her husband. She hated to turn away families, which happened multiple times. “I’m glad we tried it, but that’s not for us,” she added.
Many more breweries still choose to cater to families with young children by offering play areas or even building playgrounds. At Almanac Adventureland in Alameda, Calif., parents will find sandboxes, bouncy houses, arcades, a large lawn with games and more. The company, previously called Almanac Beer Company, rebranded as part of its kid-friendly expansion.
“It feels more like you’re at Disneyland than at a brewery,” said Damian Fagan, the owner. That’s intentional: Mr. Fagan wants families to visit.
“The novelty of craft beer is gone,” he said. “Great beer is ubiquitous. So beer as a distinguishing differentiator is really hard to do these days.”
And with the industry struggling, Mr. Fagan sees more potential in appealing to everyone.
“I’m kind of shocked that breweries are going in the opposite direction, becoming more insular and narrow,” Mr. Fagan said.
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