7 DAY BEER CHALLENGE #1: Why I'm A Beer Snob

Our lives are governed by rules, even here on anarchic Steemit, where there are supposedly only 2 rules - no plagiarism and post quality content! We all know how well that's working out, what with the flag war saga and the interpretation of 'quality content'.

But that has nothing to do with beer right? Well, sadly, in this context it has - a 7 day beer challenge started by @trumpman in a valiant and admirable protest against the grey pallor of the 7 day black & white photo challenge contests littering the social media landscapes, and delegated to me by @doomsdaychassis in his post with a list of rules at the end of the post - you'll see when you get to the end of this post!

I say delegated, because I perceived some motivation in part of the meaning "entrust to another person", which is the only way I could bring myself to take up the challenge, being not only a self proclaimed beer snob, but also notoriously rebellious about any type of chain letter style challenge or nomination. Yes, if you ever wondered what happened to all those chain letter emails you sent me, they are lying neglected in the archives of my mailbox.

Now, as you might have seen from the spider web encrusted photo of last year's 'enhanced' birthday present that I chose as the main image for this post, I might not have been the best choice of nominee for this challenge. Possibly because so far, the post has mentioned the word 'beer' 5 times, but has been nothing to do with beer! However, as can be seen from the following well chosen Christmas present, I wasn't necessarily the worst choice:

So I asked my husband to get me a single bottle of beer when he was at the local (which is what we call our nearest bottle store/liquor store/drug store/the name of the place where you buy your alcohol) in addition to my daily nip of vodka - which isn't really a daily occurrence as sometimes he gets a half and shares with me, and sometimes he gets a full bottle and we share it with our friend who's staying with us at the moment, due to a recent life crisis. I said I wanted 'a beer I hadn't drunk before' to which he replied 'you can't have drunk any of them if they're still at the bottle store' meaning very cleverly that any beer that I have drunk before is empty now. My husband is full of wonderfully humorous snippets like that! Isn't it also great that I have managed to use the word 'drunk' 3 times in this post before the beer even arrived!

As much as you were waiting and wondering about which beer was going to be reviewed in this post, with a suitably sober rundown of the beer origins, history etc. etc. it saddens me to confess that said 'never drunk' beer never actually arrived. I have no choice except to blame my beloved husband at this point (he forgot) and improvise. The beer we normally buy (which he didn't forget) is South African Black Label, 'crafted' (interpretation: mass produced) after the Canadian lager of same name and usually preceded by Carling.

The following excerpt is from the South African Brewery website, and who am I to disclaim or criticise:

A quality brew
The beer itself is one of the stronger lagers in South Africa with a clean, refreshing taste. It has a spicy hoppiness complemented by lightly kilned malted barley. There are also subtle fruity notes in the aroma and taste, adding to the depth of the beer. A dense white head and straw-coloured body characterise it.
Origins
The origins of this famous beer lie in Canada, where it was first brewed in the 1920’s by the Carling brewery. It was originally known as Black & White Lager until a 1927 rebrand where the name was changed to Black Label. The brewery was later merged into Canadian Breweries Limited, which soon became the world's largest brewing company. This allowed the brand to be promoted worldwide and its popularity soared.
Cultural spirit
Carling Black Label first hit the shores of South Africa in 1966. It has always had a strong link in its advertising to hard work and masculinity. Its first ad campaign kicked off with a cowboy theme, where the cowboy represented a hero who deserved a cold Carling Black Label as a reward for a long day's work. Cowboys and Western films were popular at the time. Over the years the various ad campaigns have always reflected the spirit of the times. Hard work and reward are a constant theme. The Carling Man has been epitomised by blue-collar workers, sportsmen and entrepreneurs. Today Black Label reflects more and more the nuances of modern South African men. They are entrepreneurs; fathers, community builders, sportsmen and leaders.

Here is an unopened bottle (not for long!) on the kitchen windowsill, looking ever so masculine and cowboy like:

These were the rules on @doomsdaychassis's post, copied from @trumpman's post, although I see that he added the NEW RULE as a courtesy - nice to see manners amongst beer drinkers, keeps the snobby spirits at bay!

1. You have to try a new beer every day, for 7 days
2. The beer must be something you have never tasted before
3. You must put a photo of the beer and write a few words about it
4. Nominate someone every day
5. If you are a social outcast with no friends to invite you just join the fun. You have every excuse to drink!
6. Use the tag "#sevendaybeerchallenge" as one of your five tags.
7. NEW RULE tag @trumpman to give him recognition for his contest

OK, skipping rules 1 and 2, I think I managed rule 3 and 4 but with rule 5, well, I'm sort of a social outcast by choice, and any friends that I am able to count in person aren't actually on Steemit so I thought I would choose a random person to nominate - I just went on the NEW page and chose the username on the first English post...After that didn't work out (their posts seemed too serious for a frivolous beer post) l used the Google sponsored search engine and searched for the word 'beer' and looked for something resembling a cool person, that wasn't a bot or extolling the bad side effects of beer. So holding thumbs @jessamynorchard has a mention bot like @ginabot and will accept the nomination from self proclaimed beer snob from sunny South Africa, @emeraldearth!

In conclusion, I'd also like to protest the fundamental principle of a 7 day challenge and point out that not everyone can:

• do something for 7 days without forgetting, especially if reliant on a husband to actually come home with a new beer each day (as you know, my husband forgot on the first day, and the world will never be the same again).

• follow rules, because what's the point of anarchy if there are rules?

• consistently do the same thing for 7 days in a row, because that's just no fun at all!

Now excuse me while I go drink my vodka!