"Beer is Great" is the final song on the 2022 album Smoke + Oakum. It is a Longest Johns Original, written by Robbie Sattin.
Factoids[]
"Beer is Great" was one of the two songs led by iRobert — a video of Robbie's face on an iPad, perched atop a hanging rack of his clothing — when Robbie was unable to join the band for the US portion of their autumn 2022 tour due to visa issues. (The other was The Workers Song.)
The Reinheitsgebot is a series of regulations limiting the ingredients in beer in Germany, first enacted in Bavaria in 1516, initially intended to stabilize grain and bread prices and prohibit unwanted and potentially dangerous additives sometimes included as preservatives or flavorings in the brewing process.[1]
Cask is the general term for a large container used for storing or aging beer, wine, or spirits. A butt was a specific size of cask with a capacity of 108 imperial gallons (129.7 US gal/491 L), and a tun was a large cask double the size of a butt.[2]
Lyrics[]
These lyrics have been taken from the lyric video on YouTube.
Oh!
Beer is great, beer is grand
I long to hold one in my hand
With frosty head and amber hue
Not much that I wouldn't do
For a pint of ale or smokey stout
Beer goes in, joy comes out
Grab a cask and yank the shive
Drink 'em up till closing time
Keep your wine it's not for me
Keep your rum I have no need
For beer is a welcome sight to see
Beer is great, beer is swell
I'd throw my mother in a wishing well
So I could wish for one pint more
Quaff the drink I do adore
Cider, gin, and vodka, no!
Whiskey's good but don't add Coke
Ale is a wondrous masterstroke
The world has declined
The tankard and stein
And flocked to the flutes and the shots
Our fathers would cry
And exclaim, "Oh god why"
We abandoned the Reinheitsgebot
(la la la)
When the sky it turns black
And the land it is parched
And your life becomes weathered and dull
We march to the drum
Of the cask, butt and tun
For there's plenty of glasses to fill!
'Cause beer is grand, beer is ace
Watch me stick one in my face
Goblet, glass or plastic cup
I don't really give a —
Beer is good, if I may
Help your hang-ups melt away
Mark my words and mark them well
Beer is great, yes beer is swell
Recordings[]
Streaming/Purchase[]
Youtube Videos[]
Gig Videos[]
- Exeter Phoenix (26 April 2022)
- The Studio at the Factory - Dallas, TX (23 Nov 2022)
- Cursus Festival 2023
- Wickham Festival (2 Aug 2024)