We live in a world where cigarette smoking is less and less tolerated, yet drinking is more popular than ever, even in places where it seems really out of place. Even a pious summer church festival serves cold tappers, maybe to loosen up visitors for a little bingo or water pistol racing.

But aside from church parking lots in June, there are many other establishments in Milwaukee where it seems surprising -- if not even a bit strange -- that beer is served.

Murphy's in the Mall, the bar in the Shops of Grand Avenue food court next to Rocky Rococo's, is a bit beautiful and peculiar. What is appealing about getting hammered in a brightly-lit vacuum of white noise that smells like fried rice and pizza pretzels? But more importantly, how many beers must one slug before the bartender validates your parking? However, in defense of Murphy's, it's always packed with patrons so maybe there's more to mall drinking than meets the eye.

We've all heard of McBeers in Europe, but here in the United States we usually keep our to-go cups filled with virgin liquids. However, the new fast food chains, Chipotle and Q-Doba serve both beer and margaritas. What next? Frangelica frosties from Wendy's? Whiskey mixers at Arby's? Now that's a grown up taste you could give into, yes?

The Mars Cheese Castle has such a limited choice of food items -- basically if it can't be sizzled on a griddle or reheated in the nuke box, forget it -- yet they have a full bar pouring every cocktail imaginable to Cheeseheads and FIBs alike.

Speaking of cheese, another bizarro beer hall is Chuck E Cheese's. Yes, alcohol numbs the horror of a mechanical mouse singing "La Bamba," but remember: No matter how much a cold one helps you deal with your posse of token-eating second graders, it only worsens your game of skee ball. And in this dismal situation, skee ball is all you got.

Benji's also has a liquor license, but has anyone in the history of kosher eating ever craved a beer with their bagel? How 'bout Super Hopple Popple with a chaser? Oy.

And finally, they don't serve diet soda, yet Beans & Barley has a fine variety of beers and wine. This is the kind of church festival hypocrisy we all live for because it justifies our own contrasting behaviors. So go ahead: Wash down a soy burger with four beers. Why not?