What are the kids drinking these days?

One thing I notice in my avocation as self-appointed litter police is the occasional “nest” that teens and young adults create in their quest to flout alcohol age restrictions.  Sometimes these are in the bushes, sometimes in an abandoned lot, or by the side of the road.  Sometimes they are represented by collections in the garbage can at my adopt-a-stop.

I recognize these signs, because I was a teenage drinker.  At 17 or 18, my bandmates and I would drive to a local convenience or liquor store, and park outside waiting for a cool-looking adult who might buy us some beer.  We referred to it as “spotting”, as in “hey, ya wanna go spot some beer?.”  It wasn’t hard to find somebody willing. 

Once, when it was Jim’s turn to hang out and solicit potential enablers, he got a yes from a pretty twentysomething girl, who not only bought us the beer, but rewarded Jim with a long deep wet kiss for his trouble.  It’s 32 years later and I’m still jealous.

But I digress.

A few things to note about the nests this year:

1. It’s all about the Steel Reserve.  Whether it’s my neighborhood on the Eastside or where I work in the SLU, those shiny silver cans are congregated together. No other brand seems to satisfy the thirsty teen in 2013.
2. When they aren’t leaving cans in neat piles, they are walking down the street, leaving a trail of cans, about two to the block.
3. Nobody seems to want to dent the smooth silvery exterior of the cans.  The picture above is typical.  Even crammed by the six pack into the adopt-a-stop bin, the cans are miraculously unmarred.
4. They are a breeze to pick up.  Except for the shambling trail-leavers, these nests are clean, consolidated, and recyclable.

Carry on, one-piecers, and keep your eyes out for signs of nests in your neighborhood.  They are a simple way to grab some quick karma points.