Billy Beer is a brand of

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cer ...

first made in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in July 1977, by the

Falls City Brewing Company Falls City Brewing Company was based in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. The company operated from 1905 until 1978. After the company closed the Falls City brand was purchased by differing groups of investors over the years. Falls City was a regional ...

. It was promoted by

Billy Carter William Alton Carter (March 29, 1937 – September 25, 1988) was an American farmer, businessman, brewer, and politician. The younger brother of U.S. President Jimmy Carter; he promoted Billy Beer and Peanut Lolita; and he was a candidate for ...

, whose older brother Jimmy was then the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

. 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 The Pearl Brewing Company (also known as the Pearl Brewery or just Pearl) was an American brewery established in 1883 in Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. In 1985, Pearl's parent company purchased the Pabst Brewing Company and assumed ...

Endorsement printed on beer cans

Written on each can were these words of endorsement, which were followed by Billy Carter's signature:

''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".

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

dollar Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar ...

s 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

in 1981.

In popular media

In the 22nd episode of season 3 of ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'', " The Otto Show",

Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' short ...

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. In the 8th episode of season 9 of ''The Simpsons'', "

Lisa the Skeptic "Lisa the Skeptic" is the eighth episode of the ninth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 23, 1997. On an archaeological dig with her class, Lisa ...

", 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". In the opening of

Daffy Duck's Quackbusters ''Daffy Duck's Quackbusters'' is a 1988 animated compilation film featuring classic Warner Bros. Cartoons shorts and animated bridging sequences, starring Daffy Duck. The film was released to theaters by Warner Bros. on September 24, 1988. It was ...

, Daffy Duck works as a DeLorean salesman, and offers "a free gift pack of ice-cold Billy Beer with each and every purchase." 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 The Ford Pinto is a subcompact car that was manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company in North America from 1971 until 1980 model years. The Pinto was the first subcompact vehicle produced by Ford in North America. The Pinto was marketed ...

Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and Willis Jackson ...

and Billy Beer". 10+ songs were released about Billy Beer in the 1970s and early 80s.

References

{{Reflist Products introduced in 1977 American beer brands Carter family Products and services discontinued in 1978