Why is Wisconsin So Drunk?

Wisconsin is the drunkest state in the country. We visited to figure out why.

In towns across the state — Appleton, Wausau, Sturgeon Bay, Madison, and Milwaukee — we asked Wisconsinites why they think Wisconsin drinks so much.

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0:00 Intro
1:01 Drunkest City in America
1:30 “Can I Get You a Beer”
2:11 When Do Wisconsinites Start Drinking?
2:28 Spotted Cow (Wisconsin Delicacy)
2:34 ZYNS
2:40 C-Danger
3:36 Appleton Night Club
4:07 First DUI Isn’t Criminal
4:22 Wisconsin Loves Beer
5:10 Chris Rock
5:17 Heading to Milwaukee
5:42 Irish Fest
6:16 Madison + Marquette = Drinking Schools?
6:34 Wisconsin Tavern League
6:53 "Kids Can Drink”
7:25 Why is Weed Not Legal?
8:07 German Heritage
8:35 Who Drinks More: Tennessee or Wisconsin?
8:45 His Uncle Has 7 DUIs

#wisconsin #milwaukee #beer

[meattroller]

It was settled by the Germans, Irish and Poles then they tried to out drink each other.

[ElectricWarrior]

Born in Milwaukee, lived in Wisconsin my whole life. We drink too much but we love each other. 🙂 The happiest place on earth is not Disneyland. It is tailgating before a Brewers or Packers game.

[Wisconwiggy]

If your new in town you go to the bar, play pool shoot pool. People make friends in the bar. A family in need you have a fundraiser at the bar, you got a question on heating and cooling you go to the bar, if you need a buddy to help you landscape your yard you ask him at the bar.

[jwickert]

I didn't realize that people offer guests something else other than a beer when they come over.... I'm from WI. Also, I moved to CA for a bit after high school. Met some locals in San Diego who invited me to a beach get together. I showed up with a cooler of beer. They looked at me like I was crazy... I didn't even consider bringing something else.

[GlenPaholke-hthg]

We practice drink thru the warm months so we are prepared for winter drinking!

[seththomas]

My dad's company got bought out in 1987 so he and his wife moved from Iowa to the Juneau area and lived there until they moved back to Iowa 3 years ago. To say the time I spent in Wisconsin over those 34 years was fun is an understatement.
1. Don't get blind dog drunk on a Brandy Old Fashoned. The hangover the next day is a express trip in Dante's inferno.
2. Spotted Cow is good beer.
3. Bowling alley's in a bar on Main Street. Only in Wisconsin.
4. Still lots of bars on small town Main Streets. Something that is dying in Iowa. :(
5. Nice people. My Midwest brothers and sisters.

Thank you for all the good memories and times, Wisconsin... I'll be back!

[InformationPollution]

I’m a transplant to Wisconsin so here are things I have noticed that are different here-
1. Young children in bars. It would’ve been totally unheard of in my birth state to have toddlers/pre-teens in bars but here it seems fine, families go to meet and celebrate.
2. Teens working in bars - I work with high schoolers and many of them work their first job at a bar, which again would’ve been very weird
3. Local breweries - they are everywhere, and really try hard to make people feel welcome.

[randallbrown]

"And then the Irish came." Best line in this piece.

[Sebman]

My home state of Minnesota in its social mores comes off as the finger wagging Lutheran mom where Wisconsin has the attitude of the drunk uncle who will buy illegal fireworks for his uptight sisters kids birthdays.

[darrellsmith]

I'm from Wisconsin, 13 years clean and sober. Then on my 14th birthday..

[iluvtv]

I've lived in Wisconsin my whole life and I've travelled other places, with friends, and they always knew we were form Wisconsin from how much we could drink and how fast. Lots of good times, that I can remember.

[rad.fox]

I'm from Wisconsin, and I literally have a hangover right now.🥴🤙

[daleley]

The best Wisconsin drinkers are in small town or middle of nowhere bars.

[TimOleson]

Coming from a life long Wisconsinite and seasoned beer consumer - lots of correct and lots of not exactly.

I think the best way to start is a lot of the drinking culture comes from the heritage here. We have a lot of Germans, Norwegians, Swedes, Polacks and Irish in the state, whose ancestors appreciate their alcohols - beers, whiskeys, scotches, brandies, bourbons... So we watch out parents drink, who watched their parents drink, who watched their parents drink and so on. Probably stemming from them embracing their heritage as that's what their ancestors drank in the "homeland".

Yes, a lot of people drink because it's cold and they don't do winter activities. But alcohol also keeps you warm, so it gets associated with those activities too: Go ice fishing, have a few beers. Go skiing, have a few beers (makes you more confident as well). Go snowmobiling (not condoning it), have a few beers.

Yes, you can drink with your parents while under the age of 18. As bad as that sounds, its not like every bar you go into is packed with families with their young ones downing drinks. It doesn't happen THAT often, and it is still up to the bartender as to IF they will serve the young one, and how much. If I take my son to the bar (which I haven't), and I say he can have a beer, the bartender has the right to say no, or cut them off at one, or whatever be... but you probably wont see a bartender pouring some ones kid a bunch of shots and letting them get hammered in the bar. Not saying it hasn't happened, but it's rare.

The rumor that the Tavern League prevents the legality of marijuana - there is probably some truth to it but probably not as much as its conspired. I think its probably more a mentality that the state already have a drinking problem, lets not compound it with weed (yet).

[bailey]

Beer is like drinking a soda here, it’s the same reason non alcoholic beer is so popular right now. Something made with hops and barley has nutritional value and beer is associated with reward after mowing the lawn or a hard days work. It just feels right.

[kp]

Went to Summerfest with my college roommate from Milwaukee. Stacked my cups up. Good times.

[akeffo]

Live in Wisconsin and you’ll understand. Dogs drink here.

[liv]

I loved this video so much, it was awesome to see a couple spots I’ve worked at featured! Great insight on Wisconsin’s culture and community!

[Stevenpwalsh]

It has german roots, so we brought german drinking culture here, and it has a long proud blue collar history, and what blue collar dude doesn't like ending the night with a beer? It's the perfect recipe for a drunk state.

I grew up there, btw... that drinking with parents permissions only happens at family owned place. It's at the owners discrecion so large chains won't usually let you.

[badguy]

As a 7 year old kid, we ALWAYS got a small glass of beer with our Sunday Dinner. My Grandmother was a German immigrant from Bavaria. EVERYBODY drank beer!