Cheers for Beers!
Goodness, when I reflect on my beer days, I realize that I drank a lot of beer when I was younger. In fact, when I was in high school, my friends would come over and we would beer bong in my bath tub. Of course that’s wrong on all levels. We would be fully dressed, ready to go out for the night and then we would step into my bathtub. We poured the beer into the beer bong (made by yours truly) and the bathtub made a safe place for any spills. We bought the cheapest beer because we didn’t care how it tasted - it went down too quickly to matter. Obviously, we didn’t care much about anything - especially the important things like underage drinking and driving while under the influence. Please Karma, be kind to me - I knew not what I know now!
Today, beer drinking is serious business. The U.S. beer industry sells more than $119.3 billion in beer and malt-based beverages to U.S. consumers each year*. You can only imagine how much money goes into the marketing of beer. I think those “Dilly, Dilly” commercials are popular because the concept really has mass appeal. In addition to our kids getting exposed to the finest inappropriate marketing, these commercials are inclusive to those who drink light beer (a.k.a. flavored water) as well as the “Holier than Thou” hand craft beer drinkers. Does it poke fun of the latter? Sure! But I guarantee those craft beer lovers are not crying about the joke which is at their expense. Crafters who painstakingly go thru great measures to perfect their beer, find humor in those silly commercials too. Yes, everybody is laughing along with those who love to drink Bud Light. Dilly, Dilly!
Speaking of love, have I told you lately how much I love Nationaldaycalendar.com? On the site, there is a statistic for National Beer Day ranking the order of the most popular beverages in the world: water, tea and then beer! Nationaldaycalendar.com also claims that beer is the oldest prepared beverage, dating back to 9500 B.C. when cereal was first farmed. According to the site, in 2009 on Facebook , Justin Smith (from the US) and Mike Connolly (from England) created National Beer Day and chose April 7th as the date in honor of the Cullen-Harrison Act which became active in 1933. The law was signed by Franklin Roosevelt and it was regarded as the first step toward ending Prohibition. This law allowed people to brew and sell beer in the US as long as the alcohol level remained below a 4.0% by volume. It had been 13 years since beer legally flowed!
Because National Beer Day cannot be celebrated in just one day, there is also a National Beer’s Eve. And in case you want to take care of your beer lover sometime between Beer’s Eve and Beer Day, I found some unique and useful beer-themed thoughtful pinches at our local gift shop, Patina.
A word play on the Minnesota state slogan - Land of 10,000 Lakes -makes a perfect beer shirt. Someone who wears this shirt is just an all around beer lover whether they live in MN or not and regardless of the light taste/great filling dilemma. Patina: $24.95
Who doesn’t need socks? And why not wear socks that can potentially keep you sitting on the couch longer since your needs will be met by anyone who can read? Patina: $12.95.
For the beer lover who doesn’t want to miss a sip. Or if you beer bong in the bathtub, like I did, this is your gadget for sure! You may think this is a gag gift but I’m pretty sure this is not just for laughs: a shower beer holder is pretty useful. Patina: $15.95.
A set of craft beer glasses are essential for the beer connoisseur who will be celebrating on April 7th. Raise the appropriate glass! Patina: $29.95.
Or if you’re thoughtful but thrifty, this represents everything you need for National Beer Day. Your home boy or home girl will appreciate this pinch. Patina: $9.95.
Gotta love that there is an Open Deer season in Minnesota. However, even if you can’t relate (I see you California followers), how can you not need a tool like this? This is a much easier way to ensure that you have a bottle opener with you at all times. It’s better than using your wedding ring like some of you out there! Patina: $10.95.
Last but not least, for the person you want to pinch sweetly. This candy bar celebrates National Beer Day by giving your beer lover something they can consume right away and it leaves behind no carbon foot prints. Patina: $8.95.
Past, present, future - I’m pretty sure that National Beer Day will be around for awhile. So keep your eyes and ears open for any and all beer-themed thoughtful pinches. It’s a great day to let someone know you’re thinking about them as they celebrate the third most popular beverage in the world. Cheers for beers! #nationalbeerday.
Pinches,
Barb
*Source: Beer Institute Annual Report, 2018.