Last updated on August 11th, 2021

Is beer really the original social network?

Sure, the claim was originally made by Anheuser-Busch InBev, but it sort of makes sense. Like Social Media networks, beer is a good medium to connect, shoot the breeze, and share inane aspects of your personal and professional life. And, like Social Media, beer sometimes makes you share things that you later wish you had not.

Making connections with total strangers becomes effortless when there is a brew or two involved, again not unlike social media. A good game of squash or tennis feels a lot more satisfying when you sit down over a pint and analyze why you lost or won. Overall, beer, like social media, is good for you in moderation. While distractions like legal cannabis have had an impact, beer continues to be the most popular alcoholic beverage in Canada, in terms of both volume and dollar value. If you have not noticed, beer companies have caught on to the power of social media.

With over twenty-four million “Likes” on their Facebook page and 460,000 followers on Instagram, Heineken is quite the fan favourite. On the other hand, there are smaller breweries with fewer resources and reach that have had to get creative and use social media to harness their local clientele.

A good example is BrewDog Breweries’ #Mashtag, a beer created entirely with social media user input! Now, if you have had enough of this social media stuff, and all you really want is to grab another cold one, you may want to thank Charlie Mopps, the mythical inventor of beer. Or, you can practice social distancing while drinking beer with your buddy!