15 June is Beer Day Britain, or the start of Say Cheers to Beer long weekend.  Its title may be something of a moveable feast, but the sentiments of the event remain the same and should be lauded: drink lots of good beer.

However, drinking is a complex issue.  People drink for many different reasons.  At its best, drinking is a celebration.  Raise a glass to today’s sunny weather; say cheers to the good fortune of living; clink glasses to friendship.  Sometimes, though, people drink to forget: forget the General Election; forget the past; forget the future.

Does anyone drink simply because they enjoy the taste?  I’m not so sure.  I think the body’s reaction to alcohol involves more complex processes than simply a sensory experience.  Sorry to admit it, but for all brewers’ endless tinkering and refinements to produce the best pint, if I was purely interested in taste, I would hunt out a perfect olive.  However, once I have found my perfect olive, I do not want to endlessly eat them by the bucket-load, whereas I know that I shall always return to beer.

Like the most reliable of friends, beer is always there.

© Beery Sue

Beery Sue gives a thumbs-up to a good pint of British beer.