National Beer Day:

Celebrated annually on April 7th, National Beer Day honors the most popular alcoholic drink in the world – the beer! Being the oldest of recipes, today there are various versions of beer you can enjoy! So sit back and enjoy your favorite ones as we explore more about this day!

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Why Beer Day?

Beer is the most prominent drink since ancient times. Why wouldn’t it be? It is tasty, contains less alcohol, is affordable, and comes in various flavors!

Beer has been made for more than 5,000 years now. Scientific evidence dates beer production to 7,000 BC. Beer was exhilarating even to the Mesopotamians that they wrote poems on it and believed it as proof for divine existence. And it was commonly used in sacred rituals by the Ancient Egyptians.

In Medieval times, European monks made beer in monasteries taking the art of crafting beer to the next level.

The industrial revolution also changed the way beer was being produced. It was much more sophisticated.

Today, over 1.3 billion hectolitres of beer are produced across the globe and are consumed often after water and tea! Thanks to the Cullen-Harrison act in 1933.

Beer was not legal to sell or consume before 1933. The Cullen-Harrison Act was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt on April 7, allowing the crafting and selling of beer with not more than 4% alcohol in it. People responded to this by meeting outside the local breweries and nearly 1.5 million barrels of beer were consumed in celebration! This inspired the establishment of National Beer Day in 2009 by Mr. Justin Smith of Virginia.

The best thing about beer is that there are numerous varieties available – IPAs, Stouts, Sours, Pilsners, Ales, and the list goes on. You can enjoy and experiment with what suits you. Since beer has an alcoholic content between 4-7% it can be enjoyed cold any time of the day without worrying about getting drunk!

You can choose from mass-produced beers by macro-breweries or the small batches of beer produced in micro-breweries. The beers are mass-produced using commonly available ingredients like rice or corn while the crafted beers in micro-breweries are prepared with specially picked ingredients. Thus the beers from mass-produced breweries can be more on a monotonous flavor that might look pale yellow in appearance. On the other hand, the crafted beers are unfiltered, unpasteurized, and free of preservatives, giving rise to more complex beers, and have tasty flavors. Thus people have grown their affection towards craft beers for their high quality, superior taste, variety of types, and flavors.

Beers are mostly sold in packs of six! Making it a great way to share with friends and family! And due to its low intoxication levels, people don’t mind joining you for a glass of beer. Also, beer can be included in any social gathering as there are different varieties to cater to your group’s taste!

Beer makes celebrations easy and fun too! With so many things to celebrate in life, you can simply head to the nearest bar to toast your success! You can pair it with the right food to have a great dining experience!

Most beers can be classified into two primary types – Lager and Ale. This distinction is based on the type of yeast used for fermentation. Ale is prepared using a top-fermenting yeast known as Saccharomyces Cerevisiae. It functions well in warmer temperatures and settles at the top of the beer. Lagers are prepared using Saccharomyces pastorianus, a bottom-fermenting yeast that functions well in colder temperatures. Fermentation of Lagers is longer than in Ale as the bottom-fermenting yeast is very fragile. After fermentation, the yeast settles at the bottom of the vessel.

Coming to the flavors of these types of beer, Ales are more on the fruity and sweeter side, whereas Lagers have a crisper taste and boast of a clean, smooth finish! So, every beer starts its journey as an Ale or a Lager and later is styled specifically based on the ingredients like malts, hops, or flavors like citrus caramel or fruit that are added to it!

Did you know, there is a third, rare category of beer that is prepared using spontaneous fermentation where yeast is derived from the environment to make sour or wild beers!

If you are wondering how many beer varieties there are exactly? There are over hundreds of mass-produced and crafted-beers out of which approximately 70 are Ales, 25 are Lagers and the least belong to the hybrid varieties.

If you are looking for authentic tastes, you can visit the local brewery. If you want to enjoy the beers outdoors or for takeaways, the macro-produced toned-down beers are a great and affordable option!

The low alcohol content makes it a healthier option than any other alcoholic drink like wine or liquor. However, it is not recommended to overindulge in beer as well as overdrinking can increase intoxication and result in adverse health effects over time.

Some of the popular Ale beers are Brown Ale, Pale Ale, India Pale Ale (IPAs), Blond Ale, Farmhouse Ale, Belgian Ale, Wheat Beer, Stout, etc. The popular Lager Beers you must try – Pale Lager, Amber Lager, American Lager, Vienna Lager , Pilsner, Dortmunder, Oktoberfest, Bock, Munich Dunkel, and the Japanese Rice Lager.

Spontaneous or Hybrid beers you could try – American Sour, Lambic, Kolsch, and California Common. You can find all these in your local breweries in case they brew the mentioned varieties.

Beer day also encourages us to appreciate the hard work that goes into crafting beer and serving it. Crafting a beer is a tradition that has been evolving rapidly in recent years. The methods and ingredients vary resulting in myriads of flavors unique to the geography or culture. There are many unexplored beer varieties and breweries. So Beer Day gives you a perfect excuse to explore them today!

Becoming a brewmaster takes years of learning, practice, and fine-tuning to craft an extraordinary pint of beer. So you can show your gratitude for brewmasters and their beers by visiting the breweries, complementing their efforts, and encouraging them to keep continuing the art of brewing beers!

The beer day brings along much joy and happiness as it brings people together! And you can also learn much by visiting the local brewery and tasting their samples!

National Beer Day is celebrated by millions of breweries and beer lovers! The beer industry is also a major powerhouse for the economy being one of the top job creators in the world.

So this beer day, enjoy a beer or two without having to worry about a terrible hangover.

And today it is the most commonly consumed alcoholic drink in almost all countries and has a popular reputation as a common man’s drink!

How Can We Observe National Beer Day:

Drink some beer

What better way to celebrate the day than by drinking beer? Grab a set of your favorite beer and don’t rush today, enjoy the flavor in each sip! You could also substitute other drinks with beer today!

Unwind with a beer!

Looking to beat the heat from the sun or work? A flavorful cold beer can help you unwind at home or the bar!

Taste different beers

If you haven’t tasted beer yet or gave up on beer because you didn’t like the flavor, today is the day to give beer another chance! Ask friends, family, or the waiter for suggestions on the different versions of beer for you to try out. See if you like it bitter or light, frothy, cold or warm. It will take some time and experimentation to find the beer you will love. You will get there eventually!

Go on a bar spree

This beer day is a little adventurous with friends! Challenge yourselves to visit as many bars in your locality and try different versions of beer at each place! Don’t forget to take pictures of you enjoying the beer!

Tour a brewery

If you love beer and are curious about how it is made, schedule a trip to a brewery in your locality. Witnessing the ingredients, the equipment, and the procedure that goes into making the beer will help you appreciate your favorite drink better! It’s a great learning experience and if you are lucky, you could get some free beer samples too!

Try your own

If you are inventive, you can even prepare beer at home if you can build your system, and access special yeast strains, hops, and grains. But once you prepare, be mindful in consuming it. Over drinking may result in sickness.

Plan A Day Out With Beer

Postponing that long drive or the camping you always wanted to go? Beer day is perfect to get out with sufficient cases of beer! Be it a self-reflecting long drive or visit your family in a different city or a camping trip with friends and family, Beer serves everyone!

Gift the Beer!

Show love to your near and dear ones by sending a few cases of their favorite beer! Nothing exciting like a beer-gift hamper. Get help in choosing the perfect beer hamper from gifting shops or a friend who knows about beer!

Learn More about Beer!

It is often stated that we get less curious as we grow up. Do you feel the same too? Life is boring if you don’t get curious. So fuel your curiosity with beer today! Learn about the history of beer by reading blogs and articles online or from textbooks available in the library! You could also choose from the varied books on beer available on e-commerce sites! Or you could watch a documentary on beer too! It is also beneficial to know the effects of beer on your health to help you avoid overdrinking.

Educate your teenagers on minimal beer drinking

Teenagers and young adults want to experiment with many things. So it’s better to educate them about beer so that they don’t suffer from hangovers or worse drink and drive.

Share the Beer-Love on social media

Share your love for beer on social media with dedicated blogs, videos, and pictures! You can share your favorite beers and if you are an expert, share tips on choosing the right beer, or share your knowledge on the various beer types available out there! No matter how you wish to celebrate online, use #NationalBeerDay and #BeerDay to share your posts today!

Interesting Facts About National Beer Day:

Here are some interesting facts to add to the spirit of Beer Day!

• The Beer Serves America Study in 2020 revealed that the beer industry contributes over $330 billion to the economy
• Over 2 million jobs in America belong to the beer industry
• There’s a name for the study of beers and it’s called “Zythology”. Zythos is a Greek word for beer.
• India Pale Ales were developed in the early 19th century by the English Brewers. It was developed by adding extra hoppies to preserve the Ales from getting spoiled.
• People of the Czech Republic consume 418, 12oz bottles each annually
• The best way to have a beer – warm. The ice numbs your tongue to the flavors of the beer.
• The world’s oldest operating brewery was established in AD 1040, Weihenstephan, Germany.
• The Beer called “Snake Venom” was created by Brewmesiter, a Scottish brewery in 2017 and it is the strongest beer in the world having 67.5% ABV.
• Since natural ingredients are used to prepare Beer, it contains vitamins, minerals, fiber, and polyphenols contributing positively to your diet.

History Of National Beer Day:

The idea of having a dedicated beer day struck in 2009 to a man named Justin Smith, who was also a Craft Beer Examiner in Virginia. It was inspired by the 1933 Cullen-Harrison Act. The unofficial Beer Day caught up on social media. The National Beer Day went on to become official as it gained recognition in 2017 by both the Governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, and Congressman Dave Brat. The House Joint Resolution 90 was presented in the Virginia General Assembly to officially recognize the day in the Commonwealth of Virginia.