Celebrate National Beer Day (Responsibly!) With Fetch

National Beer Day is just one day a year, but it’s certainly not the only day to celebrate the most popular alcoholic drink in the world. Whether you’re a beer connoisseur, you view a pilsner as essential ballpark food or you look forward to picking the beers for poker night, there’s a beer for you on April 7th (that’s National Beer Day).

Want another excuse to pick up some cold ones to enjoy (responsibly) with friends? You can turn your beer purchases into free gift cards with Fetch. Download the app, snap all your beer receipts, and see how fast you’ll earn points you can redeem for free gift cards.

When is National Beer Day?

National Beer Day is April 7th. Want to celebrate the day before the day? April 6th is New Beer’s Eve.

Beyond the widely-observed Thirsty Thursday, there’s no shortage of national food and drink holidays (there’s even a National Drink Beer Day, which is different from National Beer Day), but National Beer Day actually has some historical relevance. On April 7th, 1933, the Cullen-Harrison Act came into effect, leading to the repeal of prohibition just months later. 

So when is National Drink Beer Day then?

National Drink Beer Day is September 28th. Why is there another day? Certainly beer deserves at least two holidays, right? 

In addition to National Drink Beer Day, National Stout Day is on November 7th, National IPA Day is on the first Thursday of August and May 7th is National Homebrew Day. If you look hard enough, there’s a good excuse to celebrate all the different types of beer all year round.

How is beer made?

The different types of beer will be made differently (it’s why an IPA and a stout taste so different), but there are some essential steps to how beer is made, regardless of the beer.

• Malting
• Milling
• Mashing
• Separation of Extract
• Add Hops
• Boil
• Remove Precipitates and Hops
• Cool and Aerate
• Ferment
• Allow to Age and Mature
• Packaging

The main goal is to convert grain starches into sugar, then extract that sugar and ferment it with yeast.

How is non-alcoholic beer made?

Now that you see how beer is made, you might have noticed there’s no single step where alcohol is added. So, you might expect non-alcoholic beers to be made differently, and you’d be right. Sometimes. 

Non-alcoholic beers are made by:

• Dealcoholization through boiling out the alcohol or
• Diluting the beer with water at different stages or
• Using enzymes and other chemistry to simulate the effects of fermentation without the alcohol

Is there sugar in beer?

Although beer is a pretty well-known source of carbohydrates (which can raise your blood sugar), most beers actually have very little sugar in them (light beers tend to have a bit more). Even without sugar, those carbs translate to calories.

If you dig into the process of how beer is made, you might hear talk of other sugars in beer. They’re not lying, but they aren’t sugars your body cares about (oligosaccharides, for instance, aren’t digestible). 

The different types of beer

Depending on how specific you want to get, you could argue that there are hundreds or thousands of types of beer, but there are some pretty common ones that you’ll see on the shelf: 

• Ale
• Hefeweizen 
• IPA (India Pale Ale)
• Lager
• Pale Ale
• Pilsner
• Porter
• Sour
• Stout
• Wheat Beer

Beers like stouts, porters and IPAs tend to have pretty distinct flavors, so don’t be surprised if some of the different types of beer aren’t quite your cup of tea (or pint of beer).

Where to find different types of beer

You can find popular beers like Blue Moon (a wheat beer), Guinness (a stout) or Bud Light (a lager) in most grocery stores. Whole Foods sells beer and often has a nice selection of local craft options. You’ll find beer at most Target stores as well, where you can trust to find a wide range of popular beers. Kroger often strikes a middle ground between the popular and the local options, too. And if you’re in a pinch, many CVS stores sell beer as well, though you shouldn’t expect more than those staples like Guinness, Bud Light, Miller Light, etc. 

How many beers are in a case?

There are 24 beers in a case, traditionally. This isn’t a new answer, either. There have been 24 beers in a case for a long time, but there are some exceptions:

• Some brands have 12 or 18 cans or bottles.
• You might get the same amount of beer even with fewer bottles, though, as they often average 16-22 ounces.
• Some popular beers (and some craft beers) can be bought in cases of 30.

What is the most popular beer in America?

Did you think Bud Light was the most popular beer in America? If so, you’re not alone, but the king of beers has been toppled. The most popular beer in America in 2023 was Modelo. Bud Light held the title for a whopping 22 years, but there’s a new king in the beer aisle: Modelo Especial. 

8.34% of annual beer money was spent on Modelo, with 8.28% spent on Bud Light. 

Can beer go bad? 

Beer can go bad, but it doesn’t go bad like your milk or eggs. When beer goes bad, it doesn’t become unsafe to drink, just that the flavor and other qualities are degraded.

How long does it take beer to go bad? It depends, but your best bet is to look for an expiration date. Stored at room temperature, most beers can last 5-9 months after the expiration date. Refrigerated beer can last for another 2-3 years. 

Does beer expire?

Well, we said beer goes bad after the expiration date, so you can probably figure out the answer to this one. Yes, beer expires. The expiration date is set by the brewer, and it’s a guide to let you know when they think you’ll have the best beer drinking experience. 

So, if you have a favorite beer that you want to save for next year’s National Beer Day, check that expiration date, put it into the fridge, and be sure to cautiously test one before serving it to a friend when celebrating.

How many beers does it take to get drunk?

You’re officially intoxicated if you have a blood alcohol content above 0.08%. It’s one of the few things all 50 states can agree upon. For a 180-pound person, that translates to about three regular beers.

If you’re a beer fan, you might have a bit more of a tolerance or you may know that you’re better off with a flight of beers instead of taking full pints. But if you want to celebrate National Beer Day safely, you should have an idea of how many beers it takes you, personally, to get drunk and then ensure you drink less. Beer is great, and there are so many different kinds of it, but you won’t enjoy everything it has to offer if you’re just looking to get drunk.

Turn your Fetch Points into free beer

Whether you celebrate National Beer Day once a year or keep it in your heart all year long, be sure to snap your receipts from every beer run. We make it easy to turn those receipts into gift cards for your next beer run, and a gift card is a great excuse to try a new beer or splurge on a barrel-aged stout or stock up for your next poker night.

So download the Fetch app, check for special offers when you make your grocery list, and turn your receipts into rewards.