Green Beer Day Myths

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges of Green Beer Day is dealing with the quantity of myths surrounding the event. The false rumors, the fear of getting into trouble for doing this or that. So I hope to dispel anything you've heard that is wrong about this interesting and unique event.

Here is a sampling of commom misnomers about GBD:

Undercover officers set up fake ID stings.
Because more students are Uptown during Green Beer Day during the day the police presence is such that more officers are on patrol there instead of driving around Oxford on patrol. Sometimes you will see officers checking IDs at bars. You might see this any other Thursday, Friday or Saturday night, too. As far as undercover officers goes...they are always out there - even on the weekdays. My over 21 roommate got busted by an undercover for buying a drink for someone who was marked as being over 21 and came in on a fake ID. Talk about dumb luck. Don't trust 'em, boys. You can still be arrested for this.

Police officers from other communities are brought in.
Well...there is no evidence that the Oxford Police department does this. OPD has plenty of officers on staff to handle the event. We could only wish it would be big enough to make importing Hamilton Police a necessity! Do watch drinking and driving or speeding on GBD. There are usually a lot more tickets written because so many people drive in from Cincinnati and Dayton to partake in the festivities.

Green beer is made by the bars.
This is actually mostly false. Most of the green beer you see served from a keg in a bar during St. Patrick's Day is actually colored by the beer's distributor. They inject a quantity of green dye into the keg before delivering it to the bar. If the bar is cheap or low-tech they will often just drop some food coloring in the glass before pouring it. This will dye it green...but not the rich, flavorful color you get when it comes pre-dyed from the distributor.

Have any more myths you've heard about? Have a question you'd like answered. Send them my way.

And so it begins...

Now that winter break is nearly upon us, it is time to sit back with a Heineken, screw on the old Green Beer Day thinking cap and begin planning for this year's t-shirts. God I could use some SDS right now. They're chicken club subs are like crack. I have already been contacted by many a student who has a good idea for a design and is trying to figure out just how to make it happen. Of course we offer financing of a project if it sounds like a good idea and we usually end up paying for most of the printing. If you have any ideas, drop me a line: brody@greenbeerday.com.

On another front, I was wanting to know if anyone out there had any pictures or video footage from last year's Green Beer Day. I can give you a free t-shirt if you send me something good. I was thinking of putting together a best of GBD wall to show you the variety and history of t-shirts through time...from the old ones in the 80s to the newer ones in the 90s...a living history museum of kickass t-shirts. Send 'em in, k?

If you are planning on selling t-shirts, caps, stickers, wristbands, etc. this year...I will link you on the website. Just e-mail me and I will add you to the GBD marketplace on www.greenbeerday.com.

New Site Up - Sort of

Added new pictures uploaded this past year to the site, refreshed the home page a bit, and posted new merchandise pictures. Looks a lot better. Will likely change in the coming months as the prep for GBD2006 begins. Gotta find some replacement staff, yo. No mas kickass students to run it this year. Know anyone?

Now seeking those with ideas for GBD shirt or products for this upcoming year. Make some cash if you have a good one. Go to http://www.greenbeerday.com for more.

Also seeking some video of GBD's past. If you have any from your cam or cell phone, by all means send it in so it can be posted for all to see.

Departing for LA for Thanksgiving. Pasadena here I come. Too bad the Buckeyes won't be smelling Roses this year. Alas, an Orange Bowl appearance still makes me happy.

Go Bucks. And go Redhawks basketball.

- Brody out

Why I Promote Green Beer Day

Why I promote Green Beer Day...
One reason I promote Green Beer Day every year is to protest the University's alcohol policy. It all started when I was a freshman living in 2 Deep South, Stanton Hall a few years ago. It was a Friday night and I recall having nothing to do. Being a freshman guy without a beer hookup or a fake ID I was not exactly highly desired at any party at the fraternity houses or off-campus. I remember looking out the window in our dorm room and seeing 2 University police officers talking to a girl, dressed as if ready to party, sitting on the grass, crying. The police were yelling at her and looking through her backpack. After a few minutes of verbal abuse and some discussion between the officers I watched the girl pour out 5 bottles of beer individually into the gutter. The officers then handcuffed her and took the last unopened bottle of beer as evidence and put her in the back of the police car.

Her crime? Carrying a backpack on a college campus at night? Having beer in that backpack? Where is the probable cause? 2 crimes were committed that night and I witnessed both of them...underage possession of alcohol by a student and illegal search and seizure by 2 police officers. Which one do you think was punished?

When the University announced that parental notification would become part of the already ridiculous alcohol violation policy that was the next thing to ruffle my Redhawk feathers. I was already 21 and thought my days of worrying about another alcohol violation on my record was behind me. I was legal. Why is it that parents should be notified if their son or daughter is caught consuming alcohol while away at college? What if the parents do not pay for the student's tuition? This is the case of a roommate of mine? When he was arrested at a popular Uptown bar one night for buying a drink for a girl down the bar - he was arrested for furnishing alcohol to a minor even though she used a fake ID to gain entrance to the bar and her hands were stamped as being 21. How he was arrested for this is beyond understanding and why his parents received a letter notifying them of their son's actions and required attendance at an alcohol education course is even more unbelievable. That the University is in league with the Oxford police department to share confidential legal information in even worse.

I have taken the alcohol education course. I have been to court to sit in front of Judge Oney. I promote Green Beer Day because the University hates it. And I will stop the minute that they reverse their policies on treating students like children and stop being their Mother. The University's place is in the classroom, the lecture hall, the lab...not the bar or the living room or your dorm room. Remember that. I promote Green Beer Day for you.