NATIONAL BEER DAY IN PDX

In A Great Beer City Every Day Is National Beer Day.

Portland Oregon and beer go together like a bottle cap and an opener.

That’s the feeling from every outdoor drinking spot, bar stool, and brew house.

Who feels like a beer on National Beer Day? Even if you don’t, raise your hand.

Quick history: National Beer Day started on this day in 1933, or near this day.

After signing off on the end of prohibition President Roosevelt said, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.”

In Portland most any time is a good time for a beer. But let’s not get carried away.

Beer and sports, like beer and burgers, are a good match.

So good that Bud is the official beer of the NFL. They even voiced concern over player conduct.

Watch games, drink beer, be happy. That’s the message.

If your team loses, have another. If your team wins, have another.

But be responsible. How will you get home if you’re out?

Make the mistake of getting lost, checking your GPS, and driving in the dark from a 35 mph zone to a 25 mph and you’ll get lit up.

Even the faintest whiff of beer puts a police officer into action. You’ll do the sobriety test, which you might miss if you keep a window open for fresh air instead of recirculated beer breath.

Fail the test and welcome to the county drunk tank.

You’ll spend the night on concrete in a room of bright lights and air conditioning going full blast. It ain’t the Hilton, son. The only view is of the other guys in the room and by most accounts it’s never pretty.

If you don’t have a ride when you’re released? Too bad.

Can’t recall where your car is because you’ve never been in the town before? Too bad.

Start walking. With each step, forget the attitude of the jail officers. They entertain each other with every new way to convey one message: you screwed up.

You’ll get papers to remind you how much a DUI will cost, but no drivers license.

If that’s your only ID, you’ve just become a nobody. You’ll need a passport for this new country you just entered.

Yes, it’s National Beer Day, but it’s also go to jail day if you don’t pay attention.

In the meantime, relax and enjoy. Portland is a great beer city that’s only getting better.

The reputation of its beer is growing with each new bottling. Home brewers become craft brewers who become commercial brewers who become millionaire beer maestros. Just follow the steps.

Take a wrong turn though and you’ll be following the steps to the jail house, then courthouse, then diversion, then what?

Good beer makes for a good time. Makes for a bad time, too. The decision is all yours.

Take a cue from BoomerPdx: you don’t want to be the one walking out of jail to a cold wet morning anymore than you want to watch a loved one take that walk from the parking lot.

National Beer Day isn’t Let’s Get Faced Day. Find a good frosty one and remember where you are, where you’re going, and how you’re getting there.

Leaving out one of the important steps might deliver you another place. The ride might seem free, but it’s not.