Best Time for a Beer: Top 6 Occasions for a Cold One
Ever since 3500 BC, from the site of Godin Tepe in the Zagros Mountains of Western Iran, beer was enjoyed by those looking to get a break from chiseling rocks and filling spreadsheets.
Although beer has undergone several evolutions since it was first invented, the reasons why we throw one back have more or less stayed the same. Due to the fact that some beers taste better than others, no matter the brand, we found it necessary to examine some of the top occasions to enjoy a cold one.
Airport Beer
Bags are checked, you made it past security, your flight is on time, and it just so happens your favorite pub is across from your gate. Within minutes of sitting down, you’re greeted by a bartender who looks like he’s out of a ‘90s sitcom. He’s funny, but not overwhelming, and he knows beer.
Although you let him finish running through the draft options, you’ve had one choice on your mind since you stepped out of the Uber - an ice-cold PBR in a fresh frozen mug. While five more would follow before boarding the plane, nothing beats the first sip of that golden elixir hitting your lips.
Mountain Beer
No matter how often you go, a day on the mountain is always a celebratory occasion. When it comes to the après-ski, some sip to numb their bumps and others to celebrate newfound steez. But no matter the reason you choose to fill your cup after a great day of shredding, that first beer always hits different.
Doesn’t matter if it’s a day party turned bender at Aspen’s Belly Up or a modest pint by the fire while you warm your toes, there is something special about drinking a brew at the base of a mountain. Plus, everyone could use a little liquid confidence when they’re riding.
After Work Beer
The end of work beer is the most hard-earned beverage in the game. Doesn’t matter if it’s a back-of-the-fridge domestic or a Belgian tripel at a hipster taphouse, the working man and woman deserve to pull freshies after a long day.
When it comes to the legendary end-of-work beer, no one captures the aesthetic better than Anthony Bourdain.
“That single moment after a long and very busy night, sitting down at the bar with your colleagues, wiping the sweat off your neck, taking a deep breath, with unspoken congratulations all around—and then that first sip of cold, cold beer. It tastes like victory.”
- Anthony Bourdain
Cheers to Anthony Bourdain and cheers to victory.
Homemade Beer
If you’re brave enough to brew your own beer, we have no doubts that the first pull will be both celebratory and momentous. That being said, it will probably be a little disappointing as well. It might not taste good, but it will taste like pride, and that is the magic ingredient when it comes to this glorious beer.
America was grown off bootleggers and those daring enough to concoct their own swill. In the name of America, freedom, and the beautiful bubbly brews that we make in our basements and garages, here is to the first sip of a homemade beer.
Championship Beer
Most properly enjoyed from a golden chalice or glorious cup of sorts, the championship beer is carbonated by victory. This is a celebratory beer, a triumphant lager, and not one to be taken lightly. Whether you’re celebrating a national league victory or the opening of a new vintage clothing store in Denver, the championship beer takes many forms.
What’s special about the championship beer is that oftentimes it isn’t drunk, but sprayed profusely around the locker room. Whatever way and for whatever reason you’re drinking the championship beer, make sure you sip it slow.
Beach Beer
There are few sights as beautiful as a fully loaded cooler, perfectly layered with ice, with every ale, seltzer, and cocktail imaginable, lying on a hot beach under an umbrella. No matter what you pull from this frosted chamber of refreshment, none shall surpass the first can cracked. This is the law of the land that meets the edge of the sea, whether it’s an IPA or a Summer Shandy.
While the ocean might be the ideal location for a beach brew, the common beer enthusiast should never stray away from lakes, ponds, or even backyard sand pits to indulge in a few sips on a shore. Cheers to the beach, cheers to cold beer, and cheers to you.