The Beer Drinker's Manifesto....as told by a Country Boy

To many of us, beer is more than a drink. It's much more than the sum of its parts: grain, water, hops, and yeast traditionally. It is more than a thirst quencher, more than a beverage, more than a cola or lemonade. It is not simply something that we like to drink. It is not only the compliment to good foods.

Beer is our culture. And in short, beer is our life.

Beer to us is our hobby, our obsession and our passion. It is our stress reliever, our fun enhancer, and our comfort blanket. We plan our holidays around beer, festivals around beer, weekends around beer. We drink beer when we watch the Superbowl, when we grill at our houses, and when we have a terrible day. We drink to celebrate the birth of our best friend's firstborn, and to mourn the death of our best friend's dad. We drink beer with our closest of cronies who know all of our secrets, and we drink beer when we make new friends that will be with us the rest of our lives. We drink beer while we relive old memories of a time when we were younger and enjoyed more beer than we should have. The same beer that we use to celebrate a job promotion comforts us when we are kicked to the curb. In the best of times and in the worst of times, beer is always there.

Beer has been with man longer than the dog, and it will be with man as he buries another trusted four-legged friend. In summer we drink fruity beers that help us beat the heat. In winter we drink dark brews that shield us from the cold windy nights. In the spring we brew beer to help us celebrate the coming of warmer days, and in the fall we make glorious concoctions that prepare us for the harvest and the cold that lurks just around the corner.

Beer is more than a drink. Beer is the 'living' embodiment of our hopes and dreams.