Editing Wisconsin (section)

===Alcohol===
[[File:Miller Brewery.png|thumb|The [[Miller Brewing Company|Miller Brewery]] in Milwaukee]]

Drinking has long been considered a significant part of Wisconsin culture, and the state ranks at or near the top of national measures of per-capita alcohol consumption, consumption of alcohol per state, and proportion of drinkers. Consumption per-capita per-event, however, ranks low among the nation; number of events (number of times alcohol is involved) is significantly higher or highest, but consumption at each event smaller, marking Wisconsin's consumption as frequent and moderate.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/31237904.html|author=Rick Romell|title=Drinking deeply ingrained in Wisconsin's culture|newspaper=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel|date=October 19, 2008|access-date=August 18, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114133501/http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/31237904.html|archive-date=January 14, 2012}}</ref> Factors such as cultural identification with the state's heritage of German immigration, the long-standing presence of major breweries in Milwaukee, and a cold climate are often associated with the prevalence of drinking in Wisconsin.

Many large breweries were founded in Wisconsin, largely in Milwaukee, which gained the epithet "Brew City" before the turn of the century. [[Miller Brewing Company]], [[Pabst Brewing Company]], [[Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company]], and [[Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company]] all began as local businesses before entering national markets. Several other popular craft brews include Ale Asylum,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ale Asylum|url=http://www.aleasylum.com/|access-date=March 23, 2021|website=www.aleasylum.com}}</ref> [[Capital Brewery|Capital]], [[Sprecher Brewery|Sprecher]], and [[New Glarus Brewing Company|New Glarus]], the latter being well known for the Spotted Cow Farmhouse Ale only sold in Wisconsin.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rotman |first1=Audrey |title=Explained: Why New Glarus beer is only sold in Wisconsin |url=https://608today.6amcity.com/new-glarus-beer-only-sold-wisconsin |website=608 Today |date=November 12, 2021 |access-date=May 23, 2024}}</ref>

In Wisconsin, the legal drinking age is 21, except when accompanied by a parent, guardian, or spouse who is at least 21 years old. Age requirements are waived for possessing alcohol when employed by a brewer, brewpub, wholesaler, or producer of alcohol fuel. The minimum legal age to purchase alcohol is 21, with no exceptions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dor.state.wi.us/faqs/ise/atundrg.html|work=Wisconsin Department of Revenue|title=Alcohol Beverage Laws for Retailers, Underage Alcohol Questions|date=November 25, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141213022814/http://www.dor.state.wi.us/faqs/ise/atundrg.html|archive-date=December 13, 2014}}</ref> The Absolute Sobriety law states that any person not of legal drinking age (currently 21) may not drive after consuming alcohol.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.uwplatt.edu/files/police/absolutesobriety.pdf |title=Wisconsin's Absolute Sobriety Law, What It Means And Its Consequences |work=University of Wisconsin |location=Platteville, WI |date=2012 |access-date=March 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109083553/https://www.uwplatt.edu/files/police/absolutesobriety.pdf |archive-date=January 9, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> DUI offenses were lowered to BAC 0.08 in 2003 as a result of federal government pressure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/wb/03wb9.pdf |title=Prohibited Blood Alcohol Concentration Reduced to .08 |work=Wisconsin Briefs from the Legislative Reference Bureau |id=Brief 03–9 |date=December 2003 |access-date=May 5, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130185021/http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lrb/pubs/wb/03wb9.pdf |archive-date=January 30, 2015 }}</ref>