Today may be just the start of another month for most of us, but for people in Iceland 1 March is a day for drinking, partying and celebrating.
On 1 March 1989 the prohibition laws that had been in place in Iceland since 1915 were lifted – leading the country to celebrate Beer Day on 1 March every year.
Many Icelanders like to celebrate Beer Day with a rúntur, or bar crawl, with many bars and pubs staying open until the early hours.
But where else can you celebrate one of the world’s favourite alcoholic drinks? Here’s our pick of the best Brewtopias the world has to offer.
Germany
The beer purity laws put in place in the 16th Century made German beer famous the world over. The purity laws, which stated that beer must only contain water barley and hops, are no longer in place, but many breweries still abide by the rule.
Oktoberfest is one of the world’s most well-known beer festivals, but there are many other smaller beer festivals which take place all over Germany.
Ireland
As you may have guessed, Ireland has its fair share of beer and ale festivals. The Irish Craft Beer Festival is due to kick off on 15 March (just in time for St. Patrick’s Day) in Dublin.
The five-day event includes live music, family entertainment, food stalls and, of course, lots of small brewers selling every type of beer and ale you can imagine.
USA
They may drink weaker beer than we Europeans, but the Americans certainly know how to throw a beer festival. One of the biggest is the Great American Beer Festival.
Taking place in Denver, Colorado, the Great American Beer Festival is a three-day event featuring more than 1,600 different US beers.
(Images: Kenny Muir, sanfamedia, pdbreen, fermatarium)
