Billy Beer
Brewed expressly for and with the personal approval of Billy Carter.
Billy Beer hit the market in July 1977, brewed by the Falls City Brewing Company. The brand was tied to Billy Carter, whose brother Jimmy was the U.S. president at the time. Each can carried a printed endorsement signed by Billy, claiming the beer was made just for him and that he thought it was the best he’d ever tasted—though in private, he actually drank Pabst. Production ended in October 1978 when Falls City announced it was closing, less than a year into the promotion. The beer was also made by Cold Spring Brewing, West End Brewing, and Pearl Brewing Company. After it stopped, ads appeared offering cans for hundreds or thousands of dollars, banking on scarcity. But millions of cans had been produced, so by 1981 a can was worth between 50 cents and a dollar. The beer turned up in pop culture: on *The Simpsons* (Homer drank one from his concert jacket, and later hoarded cans, lamenting “We elected the wrong Carter”), in *Daffy Duck’s Quackbusters* (as a free gift with a DeLorean), on *Married… with Children* (Al heard it listed among 1970s flops), and on *Get a Life* (time-traveling characters drank it). Over ten songs about Billy Beer were released in the 1970s and early ’80s.
Quick Facts
- Brewery
- Falls City Brewing Company / Cold Spring Brewing / West End Brewing / Pearl Brewing Company
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Billy Beer was brewed expressly for and with the personal approval of Billy Carter, who claimed on the can that it was 'the best I ever tasted.' Despite this public endorsement, in private he drank Pabst. The beer was produced by multiple breweries: Falls City Brewing Company, Cold Spring Brewing, West End Brewing, and Pearl Brewing Company. In October 1978, Falls City announced it was closing after less than a year of Carter's promotion. After production ceased, advertisements appeared in newspapers offering Billy Beer cans for several hundred to several thousands of dollars each, attempting to profit from their perceived rarity. However, the cans were actually produced in the millions, and the real value of a can ranged from 50 cents to one dollar in 1981.
Reader's Guide
Billy Beer's significance lies in its brief but culturally resonant existence as a presidential-family-endorsed product. The beer was promoted by Billy Carter, brother of President Jimmy Carter, and its cans bore a personal endorsement from Billy Carter himself. Despite the marketing, Billy Carter privately preferred another brand. The beer's production ended abruptly when Falls City Brewing Company closed in October 1978, less than a year after the promotion began. After production stopped, speculators tried to sell cans at inflated prices, but the massive production run kept actual collector value low. The brand has persisted in popular culture, appearing in episodes of The Simpsons, Married... with Children, and Daffy Duck's Quackbusters, as well as in over ten songs released in the 1970s and early '80s. Its legacy is that of a novelty beer that failed commercially but became a lasting pop-culture reference to the late 1970s.
Did You Know?
- Billy Beer was first produced in July 1977 by the Falls City Brewing Company.
- Despite promoting Billy Beer, Billy Carter drank Pabst in private.
- Billy Beer cans were produced in the millions, making their actual value only 50 cents to one dollar in 1981.
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