The Shower Beer - It's Legit

Today is not a pleasant day to be in Tucson, AZ. At least not for those of us with allergies. The wind is insane and the air is filled with dust and pollen. Since I am basically dying here I wanted to talk about something that I find relaxing and awesome, and which gets no credit. The shower beer.

There is an odd divide in the drinking while bathing camp. While drinking wine in the bath is widely accepted and heck, practically expected, there seems to be a weird stigma associated with drinking in the shower. Aside from a margarita in the outdoor shower on vacation, or a little pre-funking while getting ready for a party, drinking the shower is often seen as entering the realm of the alcoholic.

I do not know how this double standard came to be, but I am here to tell you friends that if you let it dictate your actions you are missing out!

Now I am not saying you should drink every time you take a shower, and I am not saying you should get drunk in the shower. I am simply saying that the shower beer has its place in society, just like hedgehogs, or those little things that hold your corn on the cob. Everything has its part to play. Something about the hot steamy water combined with the initial muscle relaxation that comes with the imbibing of a little bit of alcohol, I am telling you folks it works wonders.

I have recently discovered this because of roller derby. I too used to be of the mind that drinking in the shower was only for "special occasions." However, one day after an especially tough practice I was exhausted, sweaty, and bruised. I immediately wanted a shower, a beer, and to go to bed all at the same time. I decided I didn't want to spend the extra time to drink the beer after the shower when I could just be going to bed, so I thought what the hey, bring that beer in the shower! It was amazing. The little bit of alcohol, hot water, soap, and a scented candle carried my soreness away and made me feel ready to fall into bed for an awesome night of sleep.

Not to get too carried away on the theme, but I happened to have a beer soap (made from Deschutes beer in my hometown of Bend, OR) so I used that too!

I definitely don't do it every shower, or even after every practice, but now and again it is just the ticket and I refuse to be ashamed! So by reading this post you now have permission to go against what is proper and know that you are not alone. Don't worry about what your friends, neighbors, or Mom will think (in fact my mom is probably reading this right now, hi Mom!), try it out and decide for yourself what is good.

So go ahead, give the humble shower beer a chance in a situation where you need that little extra bit of relaxation (probably not in the morning before you go to work). Or mix it up with the drink of your choice and enjoy. Just remember alcohol dehydrates you and a hot steamy shower dehydrates you, so maybe drink a large glass of refreshingly cool water afterward.

You're welcome.

Cheers!