A Better Beer for St. Patty’s Day

This week, Irish – and those who wish to join them – will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, in honor of the man who converted the Irish to Christianity. People will eat corned beef and cabbage, don shamrocks… and talk in fake Irish accents. Many of them will also drink green beer. But Great Lakes Radio Consortium commentator, Julia King, says the beer could be even greener:

Transcript

This week Irish – and those who wish to join them – will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, in honor of
the man who converted the Irish to Christianity. People will eat corned beef and cabbage, don
shamrocks and talk in fake Irish accents. Many of them will also drink green beer. But Great
Lakes Radio Consortium commentator, Julia King, says the beer could be even greener:


In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I’m going to make a personal disclosure… I like beer.


I first got the feeling this was somehow inappropriate when I was in my early twenties and I
stopped into a mini-mart to get something to drink. I put the bottles up on the counter and the
guy at the register said – exactly like this:


“You lika beera?”


He looked at me as if I had bought a whip and fishnet stockings instead of a six-pack. I blushed.


But you know, I’m grown up now and a lot less shy. So, now I’m going tell you that I not only
“lika beera”, I have a KEG in my house. That’s right, and I like it so much I think every serious
beer drinker within the sound of my voice ought to consider a keg.


Actually, I prefer to use the term “BEER-ON-TAP.” A “KEG” sounds like my husband and I
might be den-parents at a frat house. “BEER-ON-TAP” sounds like we have a lot of beer, but
we don’t drink it out of 32 oz plastic cups.


It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: this is NOT an invitation to become a drunkard. In
a two-adult household, if each adult consumes one or two beers a day, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology says those adults are likely to live a little longer; and I say those adults might as well
have a keg. This is an invitation to be environmentally friendly. See how just about anything
can be made morally correct?


Of course, like any worthwhile home improvement, a keg startup requires an investment. Unless
you want to squeeze your groceries around a big vat of beer, you’ll need an extra refrigerator.
You’ll also need a carbon dioxide cylinder to keep the beer fresh for the next month or two (See?
it’s not for drinking all at once… restraint; moderation).


Once you’re set up, though, you’re likely to save money on the best micro-brews. At my house,
we save 40% off the bottled price. And in a year’s time we save the fuel for countless drives to
the liquor store and the energy required to recycle about 1,400 bottles.


So this St. Pattie’s Day, remember if you really want to drink green beer, consider a keg.