International Beer Day 2027 is on Friday

About International Beer Day

International Beer Day is a grassroots celebration with no official status. Its organizers describe three aims: getting together with friends over a beer, thanking the people who brew and serve it, and celebrating beers from many countries and cultures on the same day.

The day was started in 2007 by Jesse Avshalomov and a group of friends. The Independent, reporting in 2011, described Avshalomov as being from San Francisco and the day as a spur-of-the-moment idea among beer-loving friends that spread online. That year's edition was planned for 278 events in 138 cities across 23 countries, the paper said.

The date has shifted once. The official website's archived pages show that the day was held on August 5 through 2012. From 2013 the organizers moved it to the first Friday in August, so the 2013 edition fell on August 2 and the 2014 edition on August 1. Some calendars and older articles still list August 5. It is separate from the US National Beer Day on April 7, which marks the end of the beer ban under Prohibition in 1933.

Beer is only for adults of legal drinking age, which is 21 in the United States and 18 or older in many other countries. If you take part, drink in moderation, never drink and drive, and keep alcohol-free beer and other drinks on hand for guests who don't drink.

Sources: The Independent: Celebrate the golden suds on International Beer Day Friday (2011), International Beer Day: About IBD (official site, archived), International Beer Day: home page, August 2, 2013 edition (archived). How we check dates.

How to mark International Beer Day

• Try a beer style from a country whose beer you have never tasted, such as a Belgian saison, a Czech pilsner or a Japanese rice lager.
• Visit a local brewery or brewpub and thank the brewers and bar staff, in keeping with the day's founding idea.
• Cook with beer, for example in a stew, a bread or a batter for fish.
• Choose a non-alcoholic beer, which many breweries now make in a range of styles.
• If you're of legal drinking age and drinking, plan your ride home in advance with a sober driver, a ride share or public transit.

International Beer Day dates