Aug. 1 — it’s not just the start of recess. It’s associated with so many national days you can take your pick of which one to celebrate.

It’s National India Pale Ale Day: a day to celebrate the hoppy deliciousness that is an IPA. Googling “IPA Day Washington D.C.” didn’t return many results for any particular specials, although Elephant & Castle at 1201 Pennsylvania Ave. NW has a special cask of Loose Cannon by Heavy Seas out of Maryland. The cask was expected to be tapped around 5 p.m. If you’ve never had cask beer, this one’s definitely worth a try.

If you’ve never had an IPA, Drink DC has composed a list of its favorites: six East Coast India Pale Ales and six West Coast IPAs for your drinking consideration. (Yes, they are different.)

The website Beer Advocate had the following statement to express the specialness of Aug. 1: “IPA Day is not the brainchild of a corporate marketing machine, nor is it meant to serve any particular beer brand. IPA Day is opportunity for all breweries, bloggers, businesses and consumers to connect and share their love of craft beer. It is an opportunity for the entire craft beer culture to combine forces and advocate craft beer through increased education and global awareness.”

For the teetotalers out there, Aug. 1 is also Play Ball Day, Girlfriends Day and Respect for Parents Day. It’s not clear if anyone is running specials for any of those.