Billy Beer
{{Short description|Beer produced in the United States}}
{{use mdy dates |date=August 2024}}
{{For|the English footballer|Billy Beer (footballer)}}
{{Infobox beer
| name = Billy Beer
| image = Billy Beer Logo.png
| caption = Official logo
| brewery = Falls City Brewing Company
Cold Spring Brewing
West End Brewing
Pearl Brewing Company
| style =
| year = {{start date and age|1977|7}}
| abv =
| og =
| fg =
| ibu =
}}
Billy Beer is a brand of beer first made in the United States in July 1977, by the Falls City Brewing Company.{{cite web |url=http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/falls.htm |title=Falls City Beer |publisher=FalstaffBrewing.com |date= |accessdate=2011-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103083802/http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/falls.htm |archive-date=2012-01-03 |url-status=dead }} It was promoted by Billy Carter, whose older brother Jimmy was then the president of the United States.[http://tech.mit.edu/V98/PDF/N11.pdf#4 The Tech - MIT] p. 4 In October 1978, Falls City announced that it was closing after less than a year of Carter's promotion. The beer was produced by Cold Spring Brewing, West End Brewing, and Pearl Brewing Company. In 2018, Uptown Brewing Company and Billy Beer, Inc. entered into a partnership with Greene County, North Carolina to build a {{convert|10,000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} production facility at the North West Greene Industrial Park.{{cite web|url=https://www.witn.com/content/news/Uptown-Brew-479362383.html |title=Groundbreaking of "Billy Beer" production facility in Greene County |publisher=witn.com |date= 11 April 2018|accessdate=2023-02-19}}
Endorsement printed on beer cans
Written on each can were these words of endorsement, which were followed by Billy Carter's signature:{{Cite web |url=http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/_borders/billybeercan.gif |title=Billy Beer Can |access-date=2007-05-07 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20040723015831/http://www.falstaffbrewing.com/_borders/billybeercan.gif |archive-date=2004-07-23 |url-status=dead }}
Brewed expressly for and with the personal approval of one of AMERICA's all-time Great Beer Drinkers—Billy Carter.
I had this beer brewed up just for me. I think it's the best I ever tasted. And I've tasted a lot. I think you'll like it, too.
Despite Carter's promotion of Billy Beer, "in private he drank Pabst".{{cite web|url=http://oldbeerads.blogspot.com/2013/03/falls-city-beer-newspaper-ad-1970.html |title=In Private, It's Pabst for Billy Carter |publisher=The Milwaukee Journal |date=June 10, 1978 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311121259/http://oldbeerads.blogspot.com/2013/03/falls-city-beer-newspaper-ad-1970.html |accessdate=2013-03-30|archive-date=2018-03-11 }}
As a collectible
After Billy Beer ceased production in 1978, advertisements appeared in newspapers offering to sell Billy Beer cans for several hundred to several thousands of dollars each, attempting to profit from their perceived rarity. However, since the cans were actually produced in the millions, the real value of a can ranged from 50 cents to one dollar in 1981.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/06/opinion/l-no-point-in-treasuring-billy-beer-cans-119930.html |title=No Point In Treasuring Billy Beer Cans |work=New York Times |date=1981-12-06 |accessdate=2011-12-23}}
In popular media
In the 22nd episode of season 3 of The Simpsons, "The Otto Show," Homer Simpson pulls a can of Billy Beer from the pocket of his "concert-going jacket," presumably from the last concert he had attended when he was younger, and drinks the beer.{{Cite web|url=http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/episodes/8F21.html|title=The Otto Show|first=Raymond |last=Chen|website=The Simpsons Archive|access-date=February 2, 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/the-simpsons-classic-the-otto-show-1798169394|title=The Simpsons (Classic): "The Otto Show"|work=The A.V. Club|first=Nathan|last=Rabin|date=August 28, 2011|access-date=October 22, 2019}}
In the eighth episode of season 9 of The Simpsons, "Lisa the Skeptic," Homer is hoarding Billy Beer cans, anticipating that they will rise in value. He drinks one of the beers and says wistfully, "We elected the wrong Carter."{{Cite web|url=http://www.simpsonsarchive.com/episodes/5F05.txt|title=Lisa the Skeptic|website=The Simpsons Archive|first=Hari Michael|last= Wierny|access-date=}}{{cite web|url=https://comb.io/RRRKq9|title=The Simpsons S9E8: Lisa the Skeptic|publisher=comb.io|access-date=}}
In the opening of Daffy Duck's Quackbusters, Daffy Duck works as a DeLorean salesman and offers "a free gift pack of ice-cold Billy Beer with each and every purchase."{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094939/quotes/ |title=Quotes from 'Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988)'|website=IMDb }}
In the episode "Shoeway to Heaven" of season 9 of Married With Children, Al is dumbfounded and asks the reporter "well what happened in the seventies?" to which the reporter replies "the Ford Pinto, Diff'rent Strokes and Billy Beer."
Over ten songs about Billy Beer were released in the 1970s and early '80s.{{cite web |last1=Brummer |first1=Justin |title=Songs About Billy Carter and Billy Beer |url=https://rateyourmusic.com/list/JBrummer/songs-about-billy-carter-and-billy-beer/ |website=RYM |access-date=2 July 2022}}