The 2024 Solar Eclipse: Nature’s Way of Saying ‘Hold My Beer’

Earlier this week I experienced what was for me, and probably a lot of people, a once-in-a-lifetime event – a total solar eclipse. A total solar eclipse (totality) occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. This results in a darkening of the sky, similar to dawn or dusk. Total solar eclipses are more common than many people think. In fact, they occur on average once every eighteen months. However, with 71% of the Earth’s surface covered by water (mostly oceans), the chances of a total solar eclipse being viewable from where any individual lives is pretty slim. Indeed the next time a total solar eclipse will be viewable from Toledo, OH will be 2099. The last one, prior to 2024, was in 1806. The eclipse was a spectacular event. In Toledo, totality started at 3:12pm and 18 seconds and ended at 3:14 and 9 seconds, thus lasting for a total of 1 minute and 51 seconds.

Upcoming solar eclipses viewable from the United States
The total solar eclipse as seen in Toledo, OH on April 8, 2024 (Photo Credit: Henry Stalnaker)
A total solar eclipse results in a darkening of the sky, similar to dawn or dusk. I took this photograph on the campus of the University of Toledo during totality

Craft beer aficionados will not be surprised to learn that craft breweries across the country took the opportunity provided by the eclipse to produce one-off beers to celebrate the event. For example, Great Lakes Brewing Co. in Cleveland, OH produced a limited edition Vanilla Blackout Stout, which was “brewed with a sliver of vanilla to eclipse your palate with extra richness”. Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis, IN brewed a coffee-infused Golden Ale which it named “3-07”, the length of time of totality in Indianapolis. The beer “embodies both the brightness of the sun and the depth of darkness during an eclipse”. The coffee used in the beer was provided by a local coffee roaster, Sun Bean Roastery.

Breweries in Toledo were no exception, and two days prior to the eclipse I got a chance to sample some of the local eclipse-inspired beers. I did so at an event called Total Brewclipse held at the Imagination Station, an interactive science center, in downtown Toledo. Fifteen local breweries, one meadery, and a university Craft Beverage Program had some of their beers for attendees to sample. Not only did a ticket to the event provide ten samples of beer, but it also allowed attendees to access to all the exhibits in the science center, including an interactive, planetarium-style show on solar eclipses in the center’s theater. The local home brewing club, the Glass City Mashers, were also there. In addition to answering attendee questions, the Mashers held a short program where they described and explained the science of the brewing process.

The Imagination Station was the venue for Brewclipse
The local home brewing club, Glass City Mashers, answered questions and hosted a program covering the basics of the brewing process

Like Great Lakes and Sun King mentioned above, most of the breweries participating in the event had brewed beers in celebration of the solar eclipse. The beers were creatively named – Path of Totality, Turn on the Dark . . . I’m Scared of the Light, and Umbra and Penumbra (the two shadows cast during a solar eclipse) being some examples.

Some of the eclipse-inspired beers available at Brewclipse

In most cases, the connection between beer names and the solar eclipse was obvious . This was not so (at least to me) with Leonidas (In the Shade) a Pale Ale, brewed by Outskirts Brew Co. & Dive of Lima, OH. I had to do a little internet research to understand the significance of this beer’s name. Here is what I found. Leonidas (c. 530-480 B.C.) was king of the city-state of Sparta from 490 B.C. until 480 B.C., when he was killed during the Battle of Thermopylae against the Persian army. According to the Greek historian Plutarch, at one point during the battle one of Leonidas’s soldiers complained that the Persian would release so many arrows that they would block out the sun, to which Leonidas replied, “Won’t it be nice, then, if we shall have shade in which to fight them?” In addition to having a very cool name, Leonidas was brewed using Eclipse Hops. While the sign at the event stated that Eclipse Hops are from New Zealand, my research suggests that they are in fact from Australia.

Brewclipse was a wonderful event. In addition to the opportunity to sample some one-off beers, what I particularly liked was the setting. I have attended a number of beer sampling events that were held in a nondescript and sterile convention center-type setting. The Imagination Station, with attendees having access to its exhibits, was a colorful and stimulating venue. The partnership between craft breweries and the Imagination Station was especially appropriate given the event (the total solar eclipse) that we were all going to witness and experience. Brewclipse also provided craft breweries a venue to demonstrate their creativity, relevance, and connection to the local community.

Craft Breweries and Leisure Time Physical Activity

I recently spent a couple of days in San Diego, CA. This was my third trip to California since November, and my second to San Diego. The purpose of this particular visit was to give a guest lecture in ‘Craft Breweries and the Urban Economy’, a class taught by my good friend and colleague Julie Wartell at the University of California-San Diego, As per usual when I visit Julie in San Diego, we managed to find time to visit couple of breweries.

At one of our brewery stops, Seek Beer Co., we ran into (excuse the pun) a local running group. The Seek Beer Run Club meet every Monday at 6pm. Those who show up participate in a 5k run (or jog or walk) around the North Park neighborhood. Afterwards they meet back at the brewery and enjoy some conversation and a beer or two. This is a run-for-fun group, with inexperienced runners (and non-runners) encouraged to participate. According to the group’s Instagram account, runners get a complimentary post-run beer and discounted beers for the remainder of the evening. Those completing ten runs receive a club t-shirt.

The Seek Beer Run Club meet every Monday evening
Seek Beer Run Club participants enjoy a post-run beer and conversation

While the Seek Beer Run Club appears to be a rather informal, come-as-you-are, group other initiatives are somewhat more ambitious. Take the BrewRunners of Cincinnati, for example. The Ohio group offers both a15-week half marathon training program and a 17-week full marathon training program. Each training group meets twice a week at local breweries, with the goal of having participants run in the Flying Pig half and full marathons in early May. Having said that, the group emphasizes that while they are a running group, they are “mostly a get together and have fun group”. On its website, the group lists ten Cincinnati breweries as social partners.

The Seek Beer Run Club and BrewRunners of Cincinnati are two examples of the intersection between craft beer and what is known as leisure time physical activity (LTPA). Dirk Steinbach and Christine Graf of the German Sport University define LPTA as “all of the behavior connected with physical activity that people engage in in their freely disposable time”.

Others examples abound. Cycling groups that associate themselves with the craft brewing movement are also common. In my city of Toledo, OH Patron Saints Brewery organize Pedals and Pints. Cyclists meet at Patron Saints and bike to another local brewery or bar, where they enjoy some beer before heading back to Patron Saints. Partnering with a locally-owned bike shop, the bi-weekly meet-up is billed as a “casual ride exploring awesome places in and around West Toledo”. On a larger scale, Bikes & Beers organizes bike rides in cities across the country. Each event has 15, 30, and 50 mile cycling routes and a host brewery where the post-ride after-party takes place. There is a registration fee for participating in Bikes & Beers events, but each one benefits a local cycling charity to improve policies, laws, and infrastructure. Again, the emphasis is on fun and is promoted as “a fun way for cyclists of all levels to get out and enjoy the road”.

Participants in the bi-weekly Pedals and Pints program meet at Patron Saints Brewery and bike to another local brewery or bar

Beer yoga is also a common activity associated with breweries. Within minutes, a brewery taproom or other space within the brewery can be quickly transformed into a temporary yoga studio. The branding associated with beer yoga is particularly clever with names such as Bendy Brewski Yoga, Downward-facing Drafts, and Bottoms Up! Yoga. Then there’s Yoga and a Pint, a name that really cuts to the chase.

So what motivates people to participate in runs, bike rides, and yoga classes that are organized by or in collaboration with breweries? The answer to that question is provided by a recent study conducted by Alana Seaman of the University of North Carolina -Wilmington and her colleagues and published in the journal Leisure Studies. In that study, the researchers interviewed individuals who participated in LTPA associated with breweries in Wilmington, NC, Auburn, VA, and Louisville, KY. Activities that interviewees participated in were frisbee golf, run clubs, ping-pong tournaments, and yoga classes.

For participants, the social aspect of LTPA is important. LTPA provide opportunities to spend time with friends, while also meeting new people. Having a post-activity beer plays a critical role in facilitating socializing. Without it, most people would probably depart once the activity was completed. Some of the interviewees appreciated the laid-back, informal nature of LTPA, and the fact that it is less serious and intense than physical activities carried out in purpose-built buildings. The brewery, and the beer it produces and serves appears to be playing a critical role in bringing people together and socializing with each other. The fact that the craft breweries in the study were locally-owned was also attractive to many LTPA participants.

Leisure time physical activity is good for human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies insufficient physical activity as the fourth leading risk factor for mortality, accounting for approximately 3.2 million deaths per year. Research published in The Lancet suggests that the situation is much more serious, placing the number of deaths attributable to the lack of physical activity at 5.3 million. One estimate suggests that 31.3% of persons aged 15+ are insufficiently active.

A study of over 100,000 men and women between the ages of 20 and 100 living in Copenhagen, Denmark and published in the European Heart Journal found that leisure-time activity promotes cardiovascular health, while job-related physical activity does not. In a paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine researchers found that 7.6% of cardiovascular disease deaths globally are attributable to physical inactivity, while another published in the Journal of Yoga & Physical Therapy concluded that “people who participate in leisure activities have lower stress levels, a better mood, a lower heart rate, and more psychological engagement, which means they are less bored, which can help them avoid hazardous habits.”

The combination of craft breweries and LPTA seems to be a particularly beneficial one. LPTA clearly has health benefits. But so does moderate alcohol consumption in a social setting, as demonstrated by the work of evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar and others. As noted by Dunbar et al., in a 2017 paper published in Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology, “our social networks provide us with the single most important buffer against mental and physical illness”. This is because alcohol triggers the endorphin system, which relaxes individuals and promotes social bonding.

I have been studying the craft brewing industry for just over ten years. Over that time, as the result of my own research, as well as that of others, I have arrived at the conclusion that craft breweries are assets to the communities in which they are located. The aforementioned paper by Alana Seaman and her colleagues, which explores the symbiotic relationship between craft breweries and LTPA, is the most recent piece of evidence in support of this.

Further Reading:

Seaman, Alana N, Lindsey Schroeder, Laura Morris, Kayla Hines, and Michele Abee. 2024. “Ten bucks for yoga and a beer in a cool vibey spot”: Exploring motivations for LTPA at craft breweries. Leisure Studies.