Ale’s Well That Ends Well

When I was eighteen, my school had an event going on where the different classes would set up things for the family/friends/public to enjoy, such as games, food/drinks stalls, crafts, etc. I carpooled with two friends of mine; I was the driver. 

At this event, my two friends were in a class that had set up a drinks pavilion. They served soft drinks, water, and beer. This was the last stall still open, and I hopped in to help out when some of the people from their class had to leave (since I was going to wait for my friends anyway). 

By the point we finally shut down, it was just past 1 AM, and after cleanup, we finally headed home. I dropped off [Friend #1] and [Friend #2] and then headed home. Shortly before I got there, however, I got stopped by a police car. (They had been doing more spot checks on weekend nights because of increased numbers of accidents in the area.) 

I roll down the window and get my license and registration ready. I hand them to the officer who comes to my window. The officer checks both and then leans down to talk to me. Before he even opens his mouth, he sniffs the air and then shines his flashlight into the car.

Officer: “Have you had anything to drink tonight?”

Me: “No. I know my car doesn’t smell like it, but that’s mostly my backpack and my shoes. I was serving at [School Event]’s drinks pavilion and got sloshed with a lot of soda and beer.”

Officer: “Uh-huh. Can you step out of the car?”

Me: “Sure.”

I get out and he has me walk along the middle line marking. I manage a perfect straight line since I am 100% sober.

Officer: “You don’t seem drunk, buuuut your car smells like a whole brewery, so will you consent to a breath test, just to make sure?”

Me: “Yeah, that’s fine.”

So, I breathe into the little tube, and it comes back clear. The officer wished me a good night, and I left the windows of my car open overnight to air it out. It really did smell like a brewery.