Tag: beer

January 24th Beer Can Appreciation Day

January holidays

We so often take things for granted… things like the beer can. The first beer can came into use in 1935, January 24th obviously, for Krueger’s Finest Beer. It was produced by the American Beer Company, I guess using the name Krueger to sound like they were German. But see, right there, by labeling the can they probably sold more than them might otherwise have sold! In fact the art of the beer can sells more beer than the beer itself. The colors of the can, the artwork done on it, even the words making it more patriotic or trendy. So give that can some appreciation before you crush it against your forehead. You need to do it before because you probably won’t remember afterwards!

How to celebrate – Study you favorite beer can. Compare your beer can to other beer cans. Stat collecting beer cans… empty or full.

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September 18th Octoberfest Begins in Germany

September Holidays

There are times you might wish to live in Germany. They say it is a beautiful country made even more beautiful during October Fest! The date commemorates the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese in 1810 and the dates today do vary, but it’s all about beer and food and the party! That’s a win-win-win! It begins in Munich, Germany quickly making it’s way through all of Germany. So break out your Lederhosen, Stein and Sausages and have a good time celebrating the upcoming, and by gone, marriage that helped unite Germany.

How to celebrate – Visit Germany. Learn how to make your own beer. Buy some Lederhosen.

March 17th Saint Patrick’s Day

March Holidays

No, Saint Patrick is not the Saint of Beer… but I’ll bet a lot of people think he is. He was an English priest, who went to Ireland to bring them Christianity in, or around, 400 AD. The land of leprechauns and shamrocks, where the primary color is green and there’s a song in every word spoken. Oddly, the first Saint Patrick’s Day did not happen in Ireland! It came in New York City in 1762. There are over 34 million people in the US that have some sort of Irish decent. (I think that’s more people than live in Ireland!) Yep, I checked… by almost 30 million! Today is a day to be proud of your heritage, whether you have any Irish blood in you are not. “May the road rise up to meet you”.

How to celebrate – Go green! Visit an Irish Pub. Visit Ireland.

April 7th National Beer Day

April Holidays

Many do not realize that beer was included during prohibition. Anything that contained any level of alcohol was included and prohibited. Franklin Delano Roosevelt repealed that law on March 22nd, 1933. The law was to go into effect on April 7th, 1933. April 6th became “New Beer’s Eve” as people celebrated being able to have a beer for the first time in years. In fact, 1.5 million barrels of beer are consumed in America every year. Considering each barrel contains 55 gallons of beers… that’s a whole lot of beer. Today was created on April 7th, 1993 to celebrate the idea of getting America’s favorite drinks back in 1933. In many places in the world it is safer to drink beer than it is to drink water. That leaves some room for thought… but not too much.

How to celebrate – Have a beer. Visit a Speak Easy, now on the “to do” list in many places, taking you back to what it was like during prohibition. Brew your own beer.

April 7th National Beer Day

April Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Do you remember prohibition? Well, you’ve probably heard of it but didn’t live through it. No alcoholic drinks were allow in America, anywhere. In Europe the beer is safer to drink than the water! Maybe that’s why you don’t see them banning beer, ever.

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By 1933 American’s had had it. Fortunately so had President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a man named Cullen, and a man named Harrison. In March, 1933 the Cullen-Harrison act brought beer out of the dark ages in America and allowed Americans to enjoy one of their favorite pass times, drinking beer. The new law went into effect April 7th, 1933. April 6th was considered New Beer’s Eve as people lined up to get their beer, legally.

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The next day, 1.5 million barrels of beer and ale were consumed. Oddly now, some 80 years later, all of the large American beer companies are owned by foreign countries. Now we only have small breweries making it a craft industry. In the future, we may have set up our own type of prohibition.

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But not today. I do believe that drinking beer is an acquired taste. Most are rather bitter, to me, and do little to quench my thirst. However, I think most would disagree with me as they still buy beers in the millions, if not billions, of various containers.

How to celebrate – Enjoy a beer. Try several new types of beer to see if you can find one you like better than another. Don’t drive and drink.

January 24th Beer Can Appreciation Day

January holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

For years we have appreciated what the beer can contains but beyond impressing our friends with the way we can crush the can, we have not appreciated the can itself. If you think about it, some artist had to design the can and set up the machines that print them, paint them, or whatever it is they do to the can itself.

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The first beer can came out in 1935, on January 24th as legend tells us. These cans have been guzzled, crushed, and recycled ever since (of course many of them never make to the recycling container, or even the trash for that matter).

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There have even been those who have made walls of beers cans, decorated their homes with beer cans, and in at least one case thar I know of, built their house out of beers cans. That’s a lot of beer! Although I have known some beer drinkers that the amount required is only one sitting.

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Of course you can use them for simple decoration as well. There is nothing like walking into a home decorated with beer cans. It just speaks to you. I’ve never really been sure about what it is saying but it does say something. And before discarding all those beer cans you have saved up over the years you may want to check them out on ebay. Some are worth a lot of money to collectors. So, STOP CRUSHING THEM!

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How to celebrate – Have a beer, but save the can. Start your own beer can collection. Appreciate the can!

March 17th St. Patrick’s Day

March Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

If there is any Irish in you, today is one of the best days of the year! And as the old saying goes, there’s a little Irish in everyone! In Ireland, it is better known as Erin Go Bragh, which means… “Ireland Forever”.

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Saint Patrick is best known for bringing Christianity to the Emerald Isle, living sometime in the 400’s AD (no one apparently knows when for sure). There is a myth that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland as well but that part of his legend is probably not true. Saint Patrick had an interesting life though.42

Saint Patrick’s day is about recognizing the Saint, God, and Jesus, but it’s also about sharing the history of Ireland and that means Green Beer, Corn Beef and Cabbage, and Shamrocks.

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A Shamrock is a sprig of clover and has medicinal purposes, but it also is a symbol of Ireland and Saint Patrick, and a metaphor for the Holy Trinity. There is always a great deal of celebrating going on today, whether for the right reasons or not. One tradition has become the Saint Patty’s Day Parade which started in New York City in 1762, not in Ireland! In fact there are some 34 million Americans claiming Irish ancestry, 9 times the actual population of Ireland!

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And how can we forget the legendary Leprechaun with his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. There are a few sayings for leprechaun wishes:

“May the road rise up to meet you.” “May the rain fall softly on your fields. And the sun shine warm on your face.” “When Irish eyes are smiling… they are probably up to something.”

How to celebrate – Check your heritage to see if you have any Irish blood in you. Wear green to show support for the Irish. Plant some Shamrocks in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day.

October 27th National American Beer Day

October Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Like so many other American products these days, the largest breweries sold out to other countries. The three largest, which I shall not name, are now owned by a Belgium company, a South American company and a Russian company. All that said, America still ranks only second to China in beer consumed every year.

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Today, most American made beers fall into the “craft brewery” category. They are normally made with limited distribution leaving the largest non-American companies to fill the shelves of the local grocery chains. At one time, there were over 2,100 breweries in the United States. There may still be about that same number but they are small, perhas putting out an even better product.

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in 2009 roughly 196 million barrels of beer were produced in the US. They still produce just as much but the profits go over seas instead of into America. I have to assume the American beer entrepreneurs either just got too tired, or too rich to care anymore. I frankly was shocked today to find out that Oreo cookies are made in Mexico! So, I guess the beers ought to be made there as well.

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American beers break down into categories. The American pale ale, Pennsylvania porter, American IPA, Steam Beer, Amber ale, cream ale and Cascadian dark ale. The only larger hold out is the Boston Beer Company better known as…

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Wasn’t the original Samuel Adams one who fought for lower taxes in America? Let’s hope they keep fighting before they are taxed out of America as well.

How to celebrate – Enjoy a good American beer while you still can. If you don’t care, which I guess you won’t if you drink enough beer, have one of the more popular brands and support foreign companies. Compare beers and see which you think is best, there is a flavor for everyone.

April 7th National Beer Day

Unboxing the Bizarre

Beer has been a staple world wide for as long as there has been written history.  But there was a time in America where beer was outlawed and it was forbidden to sell it, make it or drink it.  Now we really don’t think that stopped too many people but Prohibition did put a dent in operations.  Before Prohibition there were over 700 breweries in the US, after the repeal only 300 existed.

The Cullen-Harrison Act ended prohibition on April 7th, 1933 under direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Of course America was in a great depression and beer seemed to help ease the pain a little.  April 6th became New Beer’s Eve, and April 7th New Beer Day.

By 1982 there were only 50 beer companies left in America.  Since then Anheuser Busch, Miller-Coors, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Old Milwaukee, Schiltz and Colt 45 have become foreign owned companies leaving only the Craft Beer industry  operating in the United States.

They are, starting with number 10 in the top ten, the Harpoon Brewery, Stone Brewing Co., Brooklyn Brewery, Bell’s Brewery Inc., Deschutes Brewery, Lagunitas Brewing Co., New Belgium Brewing Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., and the two largest…

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D.G. Yuengling and Son Inc (Founded in 1829 and the oldest American Brewing Company in the US) and The Boston Beer Company (The makers of Samuel Adams).

To celebrate New Beer Day, have yourself a cold one (Make sure it’s American unless you are from a different country and then be equally as proudly of your heritage beers.)  Write a thank you letter to FDR.  (Don’t expect him to respond).  Start your own brewing company.  (Seems like nearly everybody else is so, why not!)