"Beer, Beer, Beer", also titled "An Ode to Charlie Mops - The Man Who Invented Beer" and "Charlie Mops", is a folk song originating in the British Isles. The song is often performed as a

drinking song A drinking song is a song sung while drinking alcohol. Most drinking songs are folk songs or commercium songs, and may be varied from person to person and region to region, in both the lyrics and in the music. In Germany, drinking songs are ...

and is intended as a tribute to the mythical inventor of beer, Charlie Mops.

History

It is not known where the song was created. There are numerous theories as to where in the British Isles it originated from. It is often held to have been created in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

pubs however another theory puts it as being created in the 1800s in music halls in the British Isles. Another theory hold that it is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

folk song passed down through the years. It was originally published commercially in volume 10 of English folk magazine ''Sing'' as well as later ''

Sing Out! ''Sing Out!'' was a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that was published from May 1950 through spring 2014. It was originally based in New York City, with a national circulation of approximately 10,000 by 1960. Background ''Sing Out ...

'', the American equivalent. It was noted that the three pubs mentioned in the song are based in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

along the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. In 1956, the song was taken to Australia, presumably by English sailors, and became popular there but in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, the lyrics were changed so that it was performed differently to the rest of the world. This was due to Peter Francis of the New South Wales Bush Music Club altering the words and adding a new verse to it to make it a distinctly Australian variation of the original British lyrics. As a result of this, there is sometimes an erroneous assumption in Europe that "Beer, Beer, Beer" is of Australian origin. When it was published in ''Sing Out!'', only two verses of the song were published. In response, a New Zealand reader of ''Sing Out!'' sent the magazine a copy of the new Australian verse to be republished. In the United States, the song was performed there, titled as "Charlie Mopps" but was noted to have similar titles to other drinking songs such as " Champagne Charlie" and " Willie the Weeper" with similar themes of praising alcohol. "Beer, Beer, Beer" has been recorded a number of times by singers including

the Clancy Brothers The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumper sweaters and are widely credited with popu ...

and Marc Gunn. In the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, "Beer, Beer, Beer" was released as a single in 1970 by the Cocktail Trio after the Australian version of the song had been brought to the attention of their manager. The song was also included in the 2004 video game,

The Bard's Tale ''The Bard's Tale'' is a fantasy role-playing video game franchise created by Michael Cranford and developed by Brian Fargo's Interplay Productions (1985–1992) and inXile Entertainment (2004–present). The initial title of the series was '' ...

where it is performed by drunken patrons in the first pub in the game.

Charlie Mopps

"Beer, Beer, Beer" is based around Charlie Mopps (also spelled as Charlie Mops), the fictional inventor of

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

. His name is presumed to rhyme with

barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...

and hops, two of the main ingredients in beer. He therefore is praised for his creation in "Beer Beer Beer". The character has been described in print media relating to "Beer, Beer, Beer" as "one of Mankind's greatest benefactors". "Beer, Beer, Beer" has also been the inspiration for the name of a number of pubs, which have named themselves after Charlie Mopps.

References

External links

Popular recordings can be found here:
''1969, Audio, lyrics and chords''

The Clancy Brothers The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumper sweaters and are widely credited with popu ...

''2001, My Dear Mother's Pub; Minstrels of Mayhem''

Brobdingnagian Bards The Brobdingnagian Bards are a Celtic music group from Austin, Texas, United States. History Marc Gunn, formerly of Austin Texas' alternative rock bands Skander and Breastfed, released a solo album (''Geography'') featuring himself on autoharp a ...

{{authority control Drinking songs Irish folk songs Songs about alcohol English folk songs Year of song unknown British folk songs