When the Intoxicating Liquors bill passed it also removed the 3.2 % restriction on beer (allowed 4-7%). So now we had a “fermented malt beverage” law (min age 18) and an “Intoxicating Liquor” law (min age 21)

There were two groups of Beer Bars:  Resorts that wanted to offer refreshments to their guests, but favored the less costly and easier to operate, beer bar; and those that catered to young adults.  ie: Stevens Point beer bars for Freshmen and Sophomores and taverns for upper class mates.  Rhinelander examples too.

With this came a Pandora’s Box of teen-age drinking problems. Traveling, fake ID cards

94 legislative proposals followed with 21 being implemented (Youth traveling from bordering states; forbade carry-out purchases if under 21; 1947 – required ID cards for proof of age – 1953 required ID cards be issued in “tamper proof” covers  – 1959 required ID cards to  be hermetically sealed in a tamper-proof cover.  Photos on Drivers License didn’t appear until the early 2000’s.

Municipalities were granted authority to choose 21 as the minimum beer age. By 1967 60% of the States Municipalities were 21.  New set of problems with young people traveling “out of town” to get beer. Attempted to address that issue. Also discussed raising the legal age to 19 to get it past High School Seniors.

Fast forward to 1971.  Young men were being drafted and sent to war in Viet Nam.  Legal voting age was lowered to 18 (26^th Amendment).  So a young person could die for his country, and was considered mature enough to vote, but they couldn’t carry out beer or drink intoxicating liquors.  Legislators realized that there was a new big block of Baby Boomers ages 18-20 that could now vote, so they needed to court their votes. So in 1971 the drinking age for all drinking and carry-outs was lowered to 18.

It stayed this way until the 1980’s when the Federal Government wanted to address what they saw as a problem – Highway deaths, especially Young people. So they tied a 21 drinking age to Highway Funding. In 1984 WI went to 19; in 1985 to 20 and finally in 1986 to 21.  And that is where we are today.