Beer is one of the oldest drinks the world has ever known. International Beer Day gives fans worldwide just one more excuse to have a round on the first Friday in August. Beer has a reputation as the drink of choice for the ordinary working man or woman. When it’s served up cold and frothy or strong and We celebrate International Beer Day on the first Friday in August every year – August 7, 2020 –, when summer’s end begins to loom large. The start of another weekend beckons us to put aside our work, set aside differences, and come together to celebrate our shared love of beer.
Beer somehow manages to do what politicians have tried to do for centuries – unite people in a common cause for good. Our insatiable thirst for beer gives us reason to pause; to stop what we’re doing, sit down and converse with one another over a pint or two. The conversation may be pleasant or not, calm or animated, but somehow beer makes it possible to agree to disagree and still walk away friends. Plenty of us have no doubt solved many of the world’s problems over a few pints of beer.
If you look around your city, one of the staples of any city is a good bar, a friendly pub or a busy club. So no matter if your in rural Ireland, busy Hong Kong, the back woods of Canada or even in the United Arab Emirates, there is always someplace to have a brewski. And this day is for those that do enjoy those drinks, and to appreciate those that make them – Beer Day!
History of International Beer Day
Originally started in Santa Cruz, California, Beer Day began to celebrate the craft of brewing and to show appreciation for those involved in the making of beer. This quickly expanded to include celebrations of bartenders and other beer technicians.
Not only did it expand in scope, but in size as well, quickly gaining international recognition and following within only a short year. In between 2007 when it was started in Santa Cruz, and currently where it is now celebrated in 207 cities, 50 countries and on 6 continents.
Diverse and new experiences are the hallmark of Beer Day, you are encouraged the sharing of techniques on how to make beer, along with how to enjoy it. Along with the various foods and activities that go along with it, to celebrate this enjoyable day of brewing skill.
How to celebrate International Beer Day
The founders of the Beer Day had three declared reasons for the day, and are as follows:
- Gather with friends and enjoy the taste of beer.
- Celebrate those responsible for brewing and serving beer.
- Unite the world under the banner of beer, by celebrating the beers of all nations together on a single day.
However, many folks agree, just raise your glass, tankard, bottle or can and toast those that make the amazing brew possible. Whether it is at a bar, club, pub, or even just a cook-out, it is easy enough to find a place to get a brew or two.
Most places that hold events do so by tapping new, or in some cases rare, beers, hosting a happy hour that lasts all day, trivia events, and many games with prizes involving beer gear. Enjoy yourself, responsibly, and share the wonders of beer with those around you. Maybe hoist up a different type of beer than your usual fare, to expand your horizons.
Even if it is just something you have never tried before, give it that much at least. Sometime, somewhere, a brewer spent time to get that beer right, and to market it to the public. So hoist your tankard, tap the kegs, tip the staff and enjoy the refreshment of Beer Day!
History of International Beer Day
Celebrating mankind’s common thirst for what is likely the world’s oldest and most beloved beverage is what International Beer Day is all about. Humans have been fascinated with beer since the first grains were accidentally discovered to have fermented, producing a bubbly aromatic product that someone dared to taste then drink, did not die but instead felt a lovely little buzz, smiled and said, “Wow.” Mankind has been obsessed ever since with perfecting beer recipes and brewing processes in pursuit of the next “Wow.”
Beer has been consumed by almost every culture throughout human history. The oldest evidence of man’s obsession with brewing beer dates back to ancient Babylonia and Mesopotamia. Archaeologists have unearthed recipes for beer that were written on clay tablets in 4300 B.C., and ceramic vessels from 3400 B.C. that are still sticky with beer residue. Everyone drank beer in ancient Egypt: pharaohs, peasants, priests, even children, as part of their everyday diet.
What may be the first song about beer, “Hymn to Ninkasi”—an ode to the Sumerian goddess of beer—dates back to 1800 B.C. and includes a recipe for a beer brewed by female priestesses.
By the Middle Ages, Christian monks were brewing beers, and introduced the use of hops. Until then, beers were brewed with local additives like dates and olive oils to add flavor. Today’s beers continue to be brewed with hops, herbs, or fruits that add flavor. Macro, micro, or craft, the art of brewing beer today remains a craft that employs age-old techniques carefully perfected over centuries and millennium.
Our collective love of beer is what Jesse Avshalomov no doubt had on his mind back in August of 2007 while he and a few friends enjoyed some conversation and brews in the beach community of Santa Cruz, California. Back then his reasons for founding International Beer Day were:
- Gather with friends and enjoy the taste of beer
- Celebrate those responsible for brewing and serving beer
- Unite the world under the banner of beer, by celebrating the beers of all nations together on a single day
In retrospect, Jesse’s LinkedIn profile reads he “…invented International Beer Day as an experiment in virality gone horribly right.”
To you, Jesse. Cheers!