About International Brewers Day

International Brewers Day originated from an idea by US beer writer Jay Brooks who in turn was inspired by a sticker he saw at a brewpub in San Francisco.

The idea of thanking our brewers struck a chord with the us at Beer & Brewer Magazine. We figured that raising a toast to the men and women who craft our favourite drink was a worthy celebration of Australia’s brewers. So with the help of some brewers and Brisbane’s Grand Central Hotel, Brisbane’s finest beer bar, we have organised a quiet celebration with 150 of our closest friends.

We hope that this year’s event will be the start of a national celebration of beer, brewing and brewers. The aim isn’t to drink buckets of beer and behave badly; St Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest have already been subverted to that cause. International Brewers Day is aimed at raising the appreciation of beer and those who make it - and enjoying a quiet beer while we do it.

The feast of Saint Arnold of Metz (July 18) has been chosen as the appropriate day to celebrate our brewers. While there is some debate about exactly who is the Patron Saint of Brewers, the Beer Church has confirmed Saint Arnold as the guy - so who are we to argue?

While this year we are starting small, we hope that July 18th will come to truly be an international celebration of brewers.

So here’s to our brewers! Have YOU hugged a brewer today?

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