Bring on the beer! August 5 is International Beer Day, which comes on the first Friday in August, every year since entrepreneur and craft beer enthusiast Jesse Avshalomov came up with the idea in Santa Cruz, California, in 2007.
IBD is all about celebrating beer with friends, appreciating those who work hard to put beer after beer in our hands and, like the Olympics that are officially beginning today, bringing the whole world together under a common purpose and the common language of beer.
According to the official International Beer Day website, there are five main ways to celebrate:
1. Find some good company and enjoy your favorite beers together. This is the most important step and makes up almost the entire celebration.
2. Find a celebration near you -- keep an eye out for banners at your favorite local spot, or check out the hashtag #InternationalBeerDay on social media to see who's celebrating at a location near you, wherever you are in the world.
You can find festivities in the U.S. as well as other countries like Australia, Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, England, France, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela, according to Tech Facts Live.
3. Give the gift of beer! Go ahead, be generous and buy somebody a pint -- after all, beer tastes best when it's free, and you'll totally make someone's day, and hopefully they'll pay it forward (or back to you).
4. Branch out and try beer from other cultures. After all, it is an international holiday, so why not try a style that you haven't had before to expand your palate and enrich your life?
5. Give thanks! Find your favorite brewer, bar or bartender and let them know how much you appreciate them. A note, extra tip, phone call or just verbal "thank you" is always appreciated.
"International Beer Day is our chance to let the breweries and bars of the world know how much we appreciate them, all while participating in one of the best activities ever -- drinking beer!" says the International Beer Day website. "Perhaps even more than the beverage itself, International Beer Day is about celebrating the establishments who produce it, sell it and give folks a place to enjoy it."
Cheers!