15 June: make it Beer Day Britain!

By Jane Peyton

Beer lovers -- your country needs you to help celebrate Britain's first beer day!  Beer Day Britain will happen on 15 June 2015 and we are asking everyone who brews, sells or drinks beer to participate and join in to hail the national drink.  Beer Day Britain is about all beer -- real ale, Pilsner lager, kegged ale, bottled, and canned beer -- no matter what the format, packaging or brand. 

15 June is also the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta when there will be national and international celebrations to mark it.  Ale is mentioned in clause 35 of Magna Carta and the profound significance of the charter is the reason why I suggested 15 June as the official date to celebrate British beer. 

Clause 35 stated: 'Let there be throughout our kingdom a single measure for wine and a single measure for ale and a single measure for corn, namely the London quarter.’

Ale was so important in England in 1215 that it was included in one of the most momentous legal documents in history -- the influence of which has been described as England's greatest export. To me beer is Britain's greatest export because historically British ships spread the desire for beer to all hemispheres of the world.  But Britain is a major brewing nation that does not have a national beer day. I find that astonishing given that there is so much to be proud of in British brewing.  The malted barley produced on these shores is renowned as the best brewing and distilling malt in the world, and the hops grown here with their complex but delicate character do not overwhelm the beer leading to balanced brews and are increasingly in demand by brewers overseas.

Not least, more styles of beer invented in Britain are now brewed regularly around the world than those of any other brewing nation. These include Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Mild, Brown Ale, Stout, Porter, Imperial Russian Stout, and Barley Wine.  And don’t forget the great British pub -- one of the country's greatest social assets.  Such a plethora of reasons to celebrate beer and to recognise the role that beer and pubs play in Britain's GNH -- gross national happiness!

A major activity on 15 June will be a National Cheers to Beer and Magna Carta which will happen at 12.15pm (the time relates to the year the great charter was sealed). Hopefully everyone will go to a pub, or take a bottle of beer to work and raise a glass to hail beer and Magna Carta.  The aim is to trend on Twitter with #CheersBDB.

The idea of Beer Day Britain is for everyone interested in beer to “own” it and to take the initiative in planning ways to rejoice about beer. The more people commit to supporting beer day, the more the general public will realise this is a day worth celebrating and we will have a national party.  Several brewing companies with pubs are planning events, a number of breweries are brewing special beers and some of the most passionate beer lovers in the land have the date of 15 June carved in their hearts.

For suggestions of ways to get involved such as by arranging special events, or aiming to convert a non-beer drinking friend over from the dark-side please download the information pack from the Beer Day Britain website. On the site you will also find social media contacts and free artwork for the logo and beer mat. 

Social media will be priceless in building anticipation and enthusiasm for Beer Day Britain so please would you follow us on Twitter @BeerDayBritain and help us get the word out?  If we build a FOMO factor (Fear of Missing Out) then the pubs will be full of people on 15 June and we'll have a national beer celebration that makes everyone happy!

Cheers.

*Jane Peyton is the instigator of Beer Day Britain, author of several books including Beer o'Clock and is currently Beer Sommelier of the Year.