Billy Beer

Billy Beer was a beer first made in the United States in July 1977, by the Falls City Brewing Company.^[1] It was promoted by Billy Carter, whose older brother Jimmy was the incumbent President of the United States.^[2] In October 1978, Falls City announced that it was closing its doors after less than a year of Carter's promotion. The beer was produced by Cold Spring Brewing, West End Brewing, and Pearl Brewing Company.

Endorsement printed on beer cans

Written on each can were these words of endorsement, which were followed by Billy Carter's signature:^[3]

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".^[4]

As a collectible

After Billy Beer ceased production, 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.^[5]

Billy Beer was also featured on an episode of the reality series Auction Kings, where an appraiser deemed a case of unopened Billy Beer to be worthless; however, at the featured auction, the case was sold for $100.

The hit television show The Simpsons featured Homer drinking a can of Billy Beer in the 1997 episode "Lisa the Skeptic"; after Bart tells him that the skeleton he is trying to hide is probably old enough already, he counters Bart's remark by introducing his Billy Beer stating that people said the same thing about the beer. After he drinks the beer, he says "We elected the wrong Carter". Also in the 1992 episode "The Otto Show", Homer excitedly finds a can of Billy Beer in the pocket of his old "concert jacket", and drinks it.

References