By Kathy Krassner, editor-in-chief, Greetings etc.
Beer is believed to be the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, and is the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. Beer themes and imagery have long been popular on greeting cards in the U.K., and are now gaining increased visibility in the U.S. card market -- especially on greeting cards that are geared toward men.
Among American card companies offering beer-themed greetings is Avanti Press, Inc., which features the card at right in its A*Press line. The embossed, foil-stamped birthday card ($3.95) is printed on a bright green, pearlescent paper. It features an image of a ribbon-tied beer keg and contains the message: "I hope it's the right size!"
Classico San Francisco, now a division of Culturenik, offers a "Retro Spoofs" line of 4" x 6" and 11" x 14" postcards featuring vintage-looking illustrations combined with fun messages, including several beer-related sayings. Included are postcards that say "Beer! It makes you see double ... and feel single!" and, shown at left, "Beer ... Give your brain the night off!" The company also sells 11-oz. mugs imprinted with some of the same beer-oriented messages as the cards.
Beer is a recurring motif on various greeting cards from NobleWorks Inc., including several in its "Spot On Button" line, which features removable, wearable buttons on the cards' covers. Included is the retro-looking card ($3.95), shown at right, with a button that reads: "Beer Will Save The World! I don't know how, but it will!"; and has the inner verse "Bottoms up... it's your birthday" (the same image is also available on a Father's Day card). Another card includes a button that says: "Beauty is in the eye of the Beer Holder!"; the inner message reads: "Cheers! Happy Birthday."
Shown at left is another humorous beer-related birthday card, available from Order of St. Nick. Featuring a photographic image of a gentleman about to fall back in his chair, the front of this card ($3.99) reads: "I'm not worried about the price of oil -- just let me know when the beer drops below $2 a gallon." The inner message is: "Have a Hoppy Birthday!"
Classico San Francisco
Beer is a recurring motif on various greeting cards from 
