IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BEER, BUDDY...

Well... I hope the title explains it all...

But I don't think that's enough, even if you DO understand what this blog is about.

This blog is about the amber fluid, draft, a cold one, a tube, long-neck, the amber, the middle light, libation, brewski, liquid gold, oat soda, cerveza, barley pop, puke fuel, loudmouth soup, real man's Zima, Homer Juice, keg guts, weed's best friend, rocketsauce, mother, varsity Shirley Temple, time travel in a bottle, suds, soldier, gutterade, barley legal, bitter batter, liquid bread, silly seltzer, brew dog, giggle water, liquid courage, pre-spiked punch, bubbly muscles, social lubricant, secret ingredient X, tummy buster, brain hammer, elbow benders, daddy's milk, redneck wine, antidote, hello-goodbye, potent potable, chugger's delight, liquid wrecking ball, hops scotch, un-water... The list can go on and on and on...

What I'm talking about is beer - what it is, what it does, what it's done, and what we do for it. Plus other quite fashionable questions like, what's it done to you, where have you had it, what type have you had, and many many more.

Our first blog (which is this one by the way) is all about the W's... Why, where, whence, what, what for, who and a solitary H for how.

First of all. Let's look at WHY we love it so much...

To answer this, i'm going to quote an American whose handle is "redrepair" on a Yahoo post over 8 years ago. This true gentleman answered in the best way he could, on why we love it so much"

And his answer was:

" I can tell you have not gone much out of the United States. In many countries it's a Choice of highball style drinks (gin and Tonic, whiskey and water or straight on the rocks) or Beer. Beer is advertised as a MALE drink here----- so it's what men drink.In Europe it is advertised as a generic drink. Just look at "Sex in the City" to a TGIF commercial they seldom show women with beer unless at a sporting event or one in the background.
Men went to bars after work and grabbed a beer,cider,or mead after a long day at the factory or grabbed a pale for the walk home. Women were home with the kids making dinner. Beer was cheap and there was plenty. Times changed-- people didn't, until 1941 when women started being accepted in bars and spending their own money from working in factories making planes and tanks. Women were now meeting in bars to be social with friends and co-workers rather than tea parties or lunches. But the adds in posters, movies, and magazines showed "Rosie , Mabelle, ETC." smoking with a holder and a martini glass waiting for Joe to come home from the war. Because they wanted to show women as being Feminine not passed out over a the bar with a stack of beer glasses in a pyramid
Advertising causes an Idea, Idea causes reality,Soon what was advertised becomes real---- and the idea lives on until something changes. "

Interesting answer, is it not..?

Well, let's get smart about this. The taste of beer releases a chemical in the brain which makes people want to drink more. Beer’s taste - without even any effect from alcohol - can trigger the production of dopamine in the brain. People with a family history of alcoholism have even higher levels of dopamine - a neurotransmitter associated with the brain’s reward and pleasure centres.

So beer is good, no?

YES!

A beer a day is healthy for you. Some have pointed to a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease, which means it's good for your heart. And let me tell you, every beer that I have is close to my heart! In a recent story in Men's Health magazine, they came up with 10 reasons why beer is good (and to have one right now!). They were as follows:

1. Keeps your Ticker ticking - great for heart disease
2. Thinking like a genius - it makes your creativity come out, which in some cases, helps you with problems, and has been known to make a person faster with problem solving
3. It can prevent Type 2 diabetes
4. Kind to your kidneys - has been known to reduce getting kidney stones
5. Hydrates better than water after a workout - TRUE
6. Confidence boost - we all know about this one
7. Can make you see clearer - stout has been known to reduce the susceptibility of getting cataracts
8. Lower your blood pressure
9. Fight off infection - may boost your immune system; and finally
10.  Prevent a fracture - could actually strengthen your bones.

Now there's 10 great reasons to have one a day. I do, or I try to. As a matter of fact...

Ok... that's better... I actually feel better now. I still have half a pint left, and the only thing I regret now is not taking a picture of the pint before I consumed any. A pint of beer is a thing of wonder! I mean - It's beautiful. It's a wonderful color! GOLD! or Amber, but I like to call it liquid gold, and I like to think that I'm actually drinking gold... well, kinda...

I love beer because it tastes good. It was not always like this. I remember when I was given my first TASTE of beer from my late father and then from my grandfather (RIP both of you - I hope you're both having a few at the bar upstairs) and I thought it tasted AWFUL! I screwed my face up and asked how they could drink it. But I do remember thinking that one day, I WOULD drink it, all day long, like my fathers before me. It was bitter, and it was kinda harsh for a young whipper snapper like myself back then. But now... now I can't get enough of the stuff.

I'm in central Oxford, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom now. I'm in the middle of "Study Central" with the world's oldest English speaking university (The University of Oxford) about a click away. This town has LOTS of pubs or bars, depending on where you are from.

There is an Oxford Pub Crawl here, that has over 30 places to visit, and I reckon if you make it to 20 you're a dead set legend. So I'm going to try this, on the weekend. Probably the best thing to do. I will also be trying to obtain some work at one of the establishments, and I will be putting my exploits on this blog. 

This blog will also be a place where I review all the wonderful beers that I can get my hands on. And I have already started on another blog, but I will start afresh here, just for this purpose. The purpose of beer.

AND YOU! I want all you readers out there to put in your thoughts, reviews and happenings of beer. All the w's and h's. But most importantly, get out there and drink!

The next blog will be about the history of beer. It will be a very interesting event! 

Please follow this blog, and I would love to hear about all of your experiences with beer, and I'll post it up on here!

Cheers!

BEER BUD