Today calls for a very Happy Day! It's Beer Day, Cheers!!!!

I'm not much of a drinker myself, but I do enjoy the occasional beer or cocktail, but, aside from the beer itself, I'd like to celebrate the moments shared around one or a few, as beer is the choice of preference for many friends gathering, parties or just for sitting and catching up, creating memories that will forever be in our hearts and minds..

Beer culture here in Venezuela has been pretty simple so far, is only now that the market has opened for so many different new products to enjoy, beers from different countries have become an acquired taste plus is always fun to try new ones and compare flavors.

Working in a place where one of the main sellers is beer has made me able to taste many different brews and confirm that I'm a very traditional girl when it comes to drinking. Many versions of the original might come along, but in the end, the one that stands is Polar beer, a Pilsen type grade 4.5 beer known as "La Negrita"(Little Black one, I guess, textually). This type of beer was first fabricated in Venezuela in 1941, and in 1943 the formula was changed to the one we still drink today, almost 80 years later. Through this time there have been some changes and new "versions" of the original beer but it remains to be the best.

Browsing online, seeking for cool stuff for the post, I found a couple of fun beer facts:

1- When it comes to naming the absolute best beer in the whole world, beer lovers are in complete agreement. This honorable drink is called Westvleteren 12. It is a 10.2 percent ABV (alcohol by volume) Trappist beer that has been in production since 1940. Westvleteren 12 is a dark beer with a refined, chocolate-like taste that is said to be unrivaled by any other beer. It is instantly recognizable by its distinct yellow cap and complete lack of any labels. Usually, it is only available by driving to the monastery that makes it (located deep in the countryside of Belgium) and buying it straight from the monks, which often involves waiting patiently in a line of cars that can extend for miles. However, the monks are fully aware of the superiority of their product and are willing to use its reputation to their benefit on occasion. When their monastery needed a new roof in 2012, they briefly exported Westvleteren 12 to various countries with prices ranging between $75 and $85 for a six-pack and two tasting glasses. It sold out in minutes.

2- In 2010, an early 19th-century shipwreck near Finland was found to have carried a hidden treasure: the oldest drinkable beer in the world. Preserved in its bottles by the cold abyss, the beer was found to taste very old (unsurprisingly), with some burnt notes and an acidic aftertaste. The last part was attributed to fermenting, and the actual taste is presumed to be much more pleasant. The Finns take their beer seriously, so the five preserved bottles are currently being researched and Finnish scientists are trying to determine their exact recipe. They will then start manufacturing this ancient beer and selling it under the brand name ”Shipwreck Beer.”

My next beer to try will be this new brew that Polar enterprises have come up with since we are close to a holiday and many of us Venezuelan people take these "holy" days as a time to enjoy some trip or vacation. The new Polar Light Mix is a reduced-calorie beer with an alcoholic strength of 2.5 with orange, Grapefruit, or Passion Fruit flavor, seems like a cool drink for a hot day, so I'll be giving it a try, I think the passion fruit one will be the chosen one!