Tuesday, April 7th is "National Beer Day." Just thinking of it is making me thirsty....

The date chosen for this actually isn't random. On April 7th, 1933, President Roosevelt took the first major step toward ending Prohibition and signed a law that would allow people to brew and distribute beer in the U.S...it was a glorious day in the history of the United States of America!

As I think about my love for beer...I basically break them down into three different categories...

*The finished lawn-mowing/neighbor visits/tail-gating/grilling beer --- all these things can be lumped into one category...because, think about it, it's a hot summer day, you just finished mowing and what goes down better than a nice cold Busch Light/Bud Light/Coors Light/PBR? The answer is NOTHING...the aforementioned beers are perfect for cooling off, or sharing with a neighbor. Speaking of neighbors, if they stop over, I usually hit my "beer fridge" and grab something everyone likes, for instance a Bud Light. If I actually like the neighbor, I will dig a little deeper for the "good stuff" in the back of the fridge...and if they're a really good neighbor, they'll just bring some beer themselves! Of course, while we're practicing social distancing, you may have to get creative like the guy did in this video.

Again, all of those beers in the "Busch Light" realm are excellent for hanging out at a tailgate playing some "bags" or just sitting by the grill doing absolutely nothing (but burning the meat, in my case). Here is my all-time favorite beer...as far as, taste and price...if you stop by the house, you'll probably get offered a Leinenkugal's Honey Weiss...

*beer that goes good with food... that's the one downer I've found about beer, if you're eating - anything - with it, it usually kills the beer taste...the only exception to this rule that I've found is Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat...

*a beautiful craft beer to just relax and enjoy When you first starting drinking beer...you have to determine "what kind of beer person am I"? Do you like the bitterness of IPA's? Pilsners? Stouts? How about "Sours" or, if you're like me, you like nice and smooth Bocks or "malty's" (as I call them). So as far as malts go, "there's nothin' finer than a Shiner!"

Here in Iowa, we're blessed with MANY fine craft breweries, including, Decorah's Toppling Goliath which has won many award and enjoys national accolades. In northeast Iowa and around the Cedar Valley, we also have many fine breweries/taprooms...including Lark Brewing, Second State Brewing and Singlespeed Brewing in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, which leads me to my personal choice for stouts...anything with a hint of coffee, cocoa, etc..I'm "down" for that...and the winner is...Singlespeed's "Tip The Cow"!

The only thing that would make "National Beer Day" better is, well, if we could actually go to one these breweries and celebrate with our friends. Fortunately, you can still support them as the majority of them provide curb-side service. On a lesser note, it's a bummer it's on a Tuesday. Iowa is comprised of a very high percentage of "essential" workers, so most of us have to get up for work the next day! Or, if you're working from home, go ahead and crack open a beer and celebrate, the boss will never find out right? Just be careful on those video-conferencing calls!

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