Every year on September 28, beer lovers have a simple reason to raise a glass: National Drink Beer Day.
Beer has been part of human culture for thousands of years. It has been enjoyed at celebrations, served alongside meals, shared among friends, and produced by everyone from small neighborhood breweries to major brewing companies. National Drink Beer Day is an opportunity to appreciate that long history while discovering the enormous variety of beer available today.
Whether you prefer a crisp lager, a hoppy IPA, a smooth stout, a refreshing wheat beer, or an alcohol-free brew, September 28 is a day to celebrate the traditions, craftsmanship, and social experiences surrounding beer.
A Drink With Thousands of Years of History
Beer isn’t a modern invention.
Evidence of fermented grain beverages goes back thousands of years, and brewing developed alongside some of the world’s earliest agricultural societies. Ancient civilizations learned that grains, water, and fermentation could produce a flavorful beverage that eventually evolved into what we recognize as beer today.
The ancient Mesopotamians were particularly well known for brewing. Beer became part of everyday life, commerce, religious practices, and social gatherings.
Brewing traditions continued to develop as techniques spread across cultures and generations.
Over time, brewers discovered how different grains, fermentation methods, herbs, hops, temperatures, and storage techniques could dramatically change the finished drink.
Eventually, beer became one of the world’s most recognizable beverages.
What Exactly Is Beer?
At its simplest, beer is generally made using four fundamental ingredients:
Water makes up most of the finished beverage.
Malted grain, often barley, provides fermentable sugars as well as much of the beer’s flavor and color.
Hops contribute bitterness and aroma while helping balance the sweetness from malt.
Yeast converts sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation.
That sounds simple, but changing any of those ingredients—or how they’re handled—can create dramatically different results.
Roasting malt longer can produce darker flavors reminiscent of coffee, caramel, toast, or chocolate.
Different hop varieties can contribute citrus, pine, tropical fruit, floral, herbal, or earthy characteristics.
Different yeasts can produce their own distinctive flavors and aromas.
This versatility helps explain why beer comes in so many different styles.
Exploring Different Types of Beer
National Drink Beer Day can be an opportunity to try something outside your usual order.
Lagers are often crisp, refreshing, and clean tasting. This broad family includes many familiar American lagers as well as pilsners and numerous traditional European styles.
Pale ales typically provide a balance between malt and hops, although individual examples can vary considerably.
India pale ales (IPAs) tend to emphasize hops. Depending on the recipe, they can feature citrus, tropical fruit, pine, floral, or intensely bitter characteristics.
Wheat beers use a significant amount of wheat and are frequently refreshing, making them popular during warmer weather.
Stouts are dark beers commonly associated with roasted flavors such as coffee, chocolate, caramel, or toasted grain.
Porters are another dark style with rich malt characteristics and a long brewing history.
Sour beers intentionally incorporate tart or acidic characteristics and can sometimes include fruit.
And those are only a few examples.
Modern breweries continue experimenting with ingredients and brewing methods, producing everything from traditional recipes to unusual seasonal creations.
The Rise of Craft Beer
One of the biggest changes in modern beer culture has been the growth of independent and craft brewing.
Smaller breweries have helped introduce consumers to an enormous range of styles and flavors. Taprooms have also become community gathering places where people can sample locally produced beers and learn more about brewing.
Many breweries release seasonal offerings throughout the year.
Fall might bring Oktoberfest-style lagers, amber ales, pumpkin beers, and darker malt-forward selections.
Winter often brings stronger ales, porters, stouts, and spiced seasonal releases.
Spring and summer frequently feature lighter lagers, wheat beers, fruit beers, and refreshing pale ales.
National Drink Beer Day falls right around the beginning of fall, making it a particularly interesting time to explore seasonal selections.
Beer and Food
Beer can also be paired with food much like wine.
A cold lager can work well alongside pizza, burgers, fried foods, and grilled dishes.
IPAs can complement spicy foods, barbecue, and strongly flavored dishes.
Wheat beers can pair nicely with salads, seafood, chicken, and lighter meals.
Porters and stouts can complement smoked meats, rich stews, chocolate desserts, and other bold foods.
There aren’t absolute rules, however.
One of the enjoyable parts of pairing food and beer is experimenting until you discover combinations you personally enjoy.
Beer and Pizza: A Classic Combination
Few food-and-drink combinations are as familiar as pizza and beer.
The carbonation of beer can provide a refreshing contrast to melted cheese, while hops can balance rich or greasy toppings. Malt flavors can also complement toasted pizza crust.
Different pizzas offer opportunities for different beer pairings.
A traditional pepperoni pizza might work well with a lager, pale ale, or IPA. A meat-heavy pizza can stand up to something richer or hoppier, while a vegetable pizza might pair nicely with a lighter lager or wheat beer.
Ultimately, the best combination is simply the one you enjoy.
Support a Local Brewery
National Drink Beer Day can also be a reason to explore your local brewing community.
Independent breweries often create beers that aren’t widely distributed outside their immediate region. Visiting a local taproom gives you an opportunity to discover those beers while supporting a local business.
Consider ordering a flight rather than committing to one full serving. A tasting flight allows you to compare several styles side by side and discover differences you might otherwise overlook.
You might find that the style you thought you disliked simply wasn’t represented by the right beer.
You Don’t Have to Drink Alcohol to Participate
Beer culture has changed significantly in recent years, including the growing availability of nonalcoholic and alcohol-free beers.
People avoid alcohol for many different reasons, and nobody needs alcohol to participate in the social side of the day.
Modern alcohol-free brewing offers lagers, IPAs, wheat beers, dark beers, and other styles designed to provide familiar beer flavors without the same alcohol content.
You can also simply enjoy another favorite beverage while spending time with friends who are celebrating.
The important part is enjoying the occasion in a way that works for you.
How to Celebrate National Drink Beer Day
There are plenty of ways to recognize September 28. You could visit a local brewery, order a beer you’ve never tried, create a small tasting flight at home, pair a favorite beer with dinner, learn about the history of brewing, or invite a few friends over for pizza and drinks.
You could even turn the occasion into an informal tasting.
Choose several noticeably different styles—perhaps a pilsner, wheat beer, IPA, amber ale, and stout. Pour small samples and compare their appearance, aroma, bitterness, sweetness, body, and finish.
It can make you appreciate just how different two beverages made from essentially the same basic ingredients can become.
Celebrate Responsibly
National Drink Beer Day should always be celebrated responsibly.
If you choose an alcoholic beer, know your limits and never drink and drive. Arrange a designated driver, use a rideshare or taxi, take public transportation where available, or simply celebrate at home.
Anyone who doesn’t drink alcohol should feel completely comfortable skipping it.
Celebrating a national day is supposed to be fun—not an obligation to drink.
Raise a Glass on September 28
National Drink Beer Day celebrates more than what’s inside the glass.
Beer represents thousands of years of brewing history, evolving traditions, craftsmanship, experimentation, food culture, and countless social gatherings.
So on September 28, you might crack open an old favorite, discover something brewed locally, experiment with a new style, pair a beer with your favorite pizza, or enjoy an alcohol-free alternative.
Whatever you choose, enjoy it responsibly and appreciate the remarkable history behind one of humanity’s oldest fermented beverages.
What beer style would you choose to celebrate National Drink Beer Day?
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