Observed on the fourth Thursday in July, National Refreshment Day is a holiday that celebrates cold refreshments. And in our opinion, July is the perfect time for them to have placed this holiday. Nothing is better than having a glass of iced tea, a cold soda, or even a cold beer as the summer temperatures begin to rise. This is a great day to pack up some cold refreshments and take them to the beach or the park, or even enjoy those refreshments while sitting on your porch.

The History of National Refreshment Day

This holiday can be traced back to May of 2015. This is when the Traveler Beer Company founded this holiday to encourage people to enjoy a cold beverage. The Traveler Beer Company was founded in 2012, is based in Burlington, Vermont, and is dedicated to making a variety of craft beers.

Icy Cold Facts About Beer

We can provide interesting facts about refreshments all day long, but we decided to concentrate on beer to keep things simple. So without further hesitation, below are some of the interesting facts about beer that we’ve discovered during our research on this holiday.

• Beer is the third most popular drink on the planet. It’s only behind water and tea.
• Beer has been made since the Neolithic Period—or about 10,000+ years ago!
• In 1983, there were only 49 licensed breweries. Now there are thousands.
• A recently found document from ancient Egypt listed 17 different types of beer.
• In Medieval Europe, it was common for monks to undertake beer fasts during Lent.
• Medieval monks called beer “liquid bread.”
• In 2018, California had the most breweries in the U.S.
• In 2001, one Belgian elementary school began serving low-alcohol beer to children for lunch as a healthier alternative to soda.
• The Mesopotamians believed that their gods had their own special brewers.
• The ancient Greeks preferred wine over beer.
• Viking warriors believed that if they died and went to Valhalla, they would be gifted with beer.
• By 1860, there were 40 breweries in St. Louis, Missouri, making over 200,000 barrels of beer a year.
• In 2017, there were almost 60 breweries operating in St. Louis, Missouri.
• In ancient Egypt, the majority of the beer was brewed by women.
• The melody of “The Star-Spangled Banner” is the same as the English drinking song, “To Anacreon in Heaven.”
• Root beer is not a type of beer in any sense of the word.

Observing National Refreshment Day

National Refreshment Day is the perfect day to grab a beer, iced tea, or some other beverage. Make sure on this holiday that you enjoy those beverages with friends and family. While you’re observing the refreshments on this day, don’t forget to use the hashtag #NationalRefreshmentDay and spread the word about this holiday.