Hoppy International Beer Day!

Happy International Beer Day! 🍺 Today is a day of global celebration of beer (website). The first Friday in August has been International Beer Day since 2013, before that it was August the 5th, confused?!? Anyway, now just remember it's the first Friday in August! A celebratory day created by Jesse Avshalomov at his local bar in Santa Cruz in California in 2007, you have to love those Americans for suggesting I celebrate beer regularly, cheers! 

The purpose of the day is to gather with others and enjoy a few beers, indeed, to celebrate the variety of beers, and to celebrate those who brew, manage, and serve beer to us, not to forget the wonderful pubs and bars where we drink. As Simon Difford suggests, let's raise a glass "to Beer, a drink that brings the world together." (diffordsguide) 🍻

And yesterday was IPA Day 2024 (daysoftheyear), apologies I forgot to say before, a day to celebrate India Pale Ales, and how they've been heavily influenced in recent times by craft brewers and hops from the USA. IPAs were originally brewed in England in the 18th century to be transported by boat to India, hence the name and, consequently, they had plenty of strength and were heavily hopped as a preservative, so that the beer could survive the long journey. The origin of IPA Day was 13 years ago in 2011, and the brain child of the American beer enthusiast and author Ashley Routson, who has written an excellent beer guide* and to whom I have to thank for making me also take advantage of the day over here in Britain, cheers m'dear!

To celebrate I drank a couple of pints of Hopback Summer Lightning (5.0% - website) This always excellent pale (originally a summer ale, but now brewed all year round) is brewed using East Kent Golding aroma hops (hopslist). I have used this ale to tempt lager drinkers into drinking cask conditioned ales over the years (plus Thornbridge Jaipur works very well too 😉). Light, dry, and refreshing with a bitter finish, it still hits the spot, cheers! 🍺

* Ashley Routson, The Beer Wench's Guide to Beer: An Unpretentious Guide to Craft Beer (2015), Voyager Press, Quarto Publishing Group. My Review.

International Beer Day Today & IPA Day Yesterday!

Kent Prohibition

Yesterday was IPA Day 2023 (daysoftheyear), as I suggested in my blog, and a day to celebrate India Pale Ales, and how they've been heavily influenced in recent times by craft brewers and hops from the USA. IPAs were originally brewed in England in the 18th century to be transported by boat to India, hence the name and, consequently, they had plenty of strength and were heavily hopped as a preservative, so that the beer could survive the long journey. The origin of IPA Day was 12 years ago in 2011, and the brain child of the American beer enthusiast and author Ashley Routson, who has written an excellent beer guide* and to whom I have to thank for making me also take advantage of the day over here in Britain, cheers m'dear!

To celebrate I didn't drink what I thought I would, as mentioned in my blog, as the Citra ran out the night before! Instead I had the even more impressive ale pictured above, from the same brewery (Kent), but their stronger Prohibition (4.8%). This excellent pale ale has a big fruity aroma and taste, tropical as well as the citrus/grapefruit flavours expected (although I still haven't been able to discover what hops are used), refreshing, and a great dry bitter finish. This encapsulates how IPAs have been influenced by brewers and hop growers working over the other side of the Atlantic, and creating what are often called American Pale Ales over here.👍

Random Archive Image😉

And today, as the first Friday in August, it's International Beer Day (website), and has been the first Friday in August since 2013, although from 2007-12 it had been on August the 5th, confused?!? Now, just remember the first Friday in August! Another celebratory day created by another American, Jesse Avshalomov, at his local bar in Santa Cruz in California in 2007, you have to love those Americans for suggesting I celebrate beer regularly, cheers! 

The purpose of the day is to gather with others and enjoy a few beers, indeed, to celebrate the variety of beers, and to celebrate those who brew, manage, and serve beer to us, not to forget the wonderful pubs and bars where we drink. As Simon Difford suggests, let's raise a glass "to Beer, a drink that brings the world together." (diffordsguide) 🍻

* Ashley Routson, The Beer Wench's Guide to Beer: An Unpretentious Guide to Craft Beer (2015), Voyager Press, Quarto Publishing Group. My Review.

Happy International Beer Day 2022!

Indeed, like the number 37 bus, these celebratory days never turn up alone! 😂 Apparently, the first Thursday in August every year since 2011 has been IPA Day (blog yesterday), and the first Friday in August since 2013 has been International Beer Day; previously, from 2007, it had been on August the 5th until 2012, well, it's the 5th again this year! Another 'day' created by an American, Jesse Avshalomov, at his local bar in Santa Cruz in California in 2007, you have to love those Yanks for suggesting I celebrate beer regularly!

The purpose of the day is to gather with others and enjoy a few beers, indeed, to celebrate the variety of beers, and to celebrate those who brew, manage, and serve beer to us, not to forget the wonderful pubs and bars where we drink. As Simon Difford suggests, let's raise a glass "to Beer, a drink that brings the world together." (diffordsguide)

I'll have to pop out for a few pints too, cheers! 😄