In response to increasing demand from its youngest customer base, Olde Mecklenburg Brewery announced Tuesday the release of its first child-friendly beer, a non-alcoholic kölsch “designed for the under-5 crowd.”
The new beverage, called Lil’ Kölsch, will be served in BPA-free mini steins and is described as “refreshingly juice-adjacent.”
“Every weekend, we see hundreds of children at OMB,” said a brewery spokesperson. “This just streamlines the experience. Now when they sprint across the patio unsupervised, they’ll be doing it with their own drink in hand.”
The move follows growing feedback that OMB has become “Charlotte’s largest open-air daycare with beer.”
Parents say the change is overdue.
“My son’s been coming here since he was four months old,” said one dad. “It only makes sense he finally gets a house brew.”
OMB says it’s also exploring other family-friendly innovations, including a stroller valet and juice box flights.
As of press time, a bartender was teaching several children how to read the menu.
