August 4, 2022 - National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day | National IPA Day

Welcome to August 4th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate one smart cookie and a bitter beer. Ruth Wakefield ran the Toll House Inn with her husband in Whitman, Massachusetts. Ruth was a renowned baker, but she is best known for adding semisweet chocolate to her butterscotch cookie dough. This recipe became a regional favorite, and during World War II it caused a cookie craze. Soldiers from Massachusetts that were stationed overseas began to receive chocolate chip cookies in care packages from home. Soon Wakefield was inundated with requests for her cookie recipe from all around the globe. Nestle offered her a lifetime supply of chocolate in exchange for it, and to this day the Toll House recipe is printed on every bag of chocolate chips. On National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day celebrate the sweet success of one smart cookie. In the late 1700s, the British Empire spanned the globe, and one of its largest colonies was India. The Brits living there demanded goods from back home which created a significant trade route between the two countries. One of the most popular imports was beer, which didn’t age well when it was shipped to warmer climates. George Hodgson of the Bow Brewery came up with a solution. He brewed a lighter beer, called pale ale, then increased the amount of alcohol and hops in order to prevent spoilage. The downside was that the hops would lose their fruity flavor and produce a bitter taste. And so India Pale Ale was born. Some say this drink is an acquired taste, but on National IPA Day we celebrate beer that really went the distance. I’m Anna Devere and I’m John McClain filling in for Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices