Beer – is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the world, it traces its history back centuries, has thousands of recipes and millions of fans in all corners of the planet. Therefore, it is not surprising that many festivals, fairs and holidays of various levels are organized everywhere in honor of him.
Thus, «professional» holidays for producers and lovers of this foamy intoxicating drink are listed in the calendar of many countries. For example, in Iceland – is March 1, in Russia the main industry holiday of beer producers – Brewer's Day – is celebrated on the second Saturday of June.
In recent years, International Beer Day has become increasingly popular. International Beer Day) – is an annual unofficial holiday for all lovers and producers of this drink, which is celebrated on the first Friday of August. The founder of the holiday was the American Jesse Avshalomov, a bar owner who wanted to attract even more visitors to his establishment in this way.
This holiday was first held in 2007 in the city of Santa Cruz (California, USA) and for several years had a fixed date – on August 5, but as the geography of the holiday spreads, its date – has also changed since 2012; it is celebrated on the first Friday of August. It was by this time that it had turned from a small-town festival into an international event – in 2012. It was already celebrated in 207 cities in 50 countries on 5 continents. In addition to the United States, Beer Day is celebrated today in many countries in Europe, South and North America, Asia and Africa. But in Russia it is not yet very well known, although beer has always been popular in Rus.
As already mentioned, beer – is a very ancient drink. According to archaeological finds, beer in Ancient Egypt was already precisely brewed in the 3rd century BC, that is, it can trace its history back to more ancient times. A number of researchers associate its appearance with the beginning of human cultivation of grain crops – 9000 BC. By the way, there is an opinion that initially wheat began to be cultivated not for baking bread, but specifically for making beer. Unfortunately, the name of the person who came up with the recipe for preparing this drink is not known. Although, of course, the composition of «ancient» beer was different from modern beer, which includes malt and hops.
Today, as before, the main goal of all such holidays – is to get together with friends and enjoy the taste of your favorite beer... (Photo: BlueSkyImage, licensed from Shutterstock.com)
Beer, roughly as we know it today, appeared in the 13th century. It was then that hops began to be added to it. Breweries appeared in Iceland, Germany, England and other European countries, and each had its own secrets for preparing this drink. Beer was made according to various family recipes, which were passed on from father to son and kept in the strictest confidence. It is believed that the tradition of organizing a wild celebration in honor of beer came from Iceland – of the Viking homeland. And then these traditions were picked up in other countries.
Today, as before, the main goal of all such holidays – is to get together with friends and enjoy the taste of your favorite type of beer, congratulate and thank everyone who, in one way or another, is associated with the production and serving of this foamy drink.
Therefore, traditionally, on International Beer Day, the main events take place in pubs, bars and restaurants, where all participants in the holiday can try beer not only of different varieties, but also from different producers from different countries and even rare varieties. Moreover, the establishments are open until the morning, because the main tradition of the – holiday is to accommodate as much beer as it can fit. And, for example, in the USA, various themed parties, quizzes and games are often organized, especially beer pong (an alcoholic game in which players throw a ping pong ball over a table, trying to get them into a mug or glass of beer standing on the other end of this table). And all this behind a mug of high-quality drink. The main thing to remember is that beer – is still an alcoholic drink, so Beer Day should be celebrated so that you don’t have a headache in the morning.
Beer, approximately as we know it today, appeared in the 13th century (Photo: Valentyn Volkov, licensed by Shutterstock.com)
Some interesting facts about beer:
– It is believed that the most beer nation – is the Germans; the Czechs and Irish are slightly behind them in terms of beer consumption.
– In England, in the town of Great Harwood, unusual beer competitions are held – men organize a 5-mile race, and at this distance they must drink a glass of beer in 14 pubs located at a distance. But at the same time, participants not only run, but run with baby strollers. And the winner is the one who not only came to the finish line first, but never turned the stroller over.
– The largest beer production plant – is Adolph Coors Company (USA), its production capacity is – 2.5 billion liters of beer per year.
– At auction, a bottle of Lowebrau beer sold for more than $16,000. This is the only bottle of beer that survived the crash of the Hindenburg airship in Germany in 1937.
– Some of the most famous beer festivals in the world – Oktoberfest, which takes place in Germany in September; London's Great Beer Festival, which takes place in August; Belgian Beer Weekend – in Brussels in early September; and at the end of September – the Great Beer Festival in Denver (USA). And this is not a complete list yet.
Postcard «International Beer Day» Article «International Beer Day» Story «Bar on Topolchanskaya»