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Beer Is The Third-Most Popular Drink On Earth, After Water And Tea.

On September 7th, National Beer Lover’s Day celebrates the grains, hops, and brewing methods across many eras.

Beer and the process of brewing beer may predate known history. As varied as the methods, grains, and flavors, beer continues to change and evolve.

  • Virginia colonists brewed beer. William Penn included a place for brewing beer within the Pennsylvania colony. It can still be visited at Pennsbury Manor today.
  • The first President of the United States recorded a recipe for brewing beer in his notes.
  • Samuel Adams holds a place in both beer and tea history in this country. There were a few beer lovers and patriots among the nation’s founders.
  • The United States also derives its rich brewing history from beer-loving German immigrants during the mid-1800s. Some of those immigrants families’ names are as familiar today as they were a hundred years ago.
  • As it is one of the oldest beverages humanity has ever produced, it dates back to the 5th millennium BC in Iran, as ancients were drinking beer upon its discovery.
  • A beer lover or enthusiast is called a cerevisaphile.
  • Cenosillicaphobia is commonly touted as being the fear of an empty beer glass.
  • Germany serves beer ice cream in popsicle form. Its alcoholic content is less than that found in “classic” beer.
  • In 1962, Iron City beer was the brand used to test-market the concept of tab opening aluminum cans. By 1970, over 90% of all beer cans were self-opening.
  • Prohibition, beginning on January 16, 1920, lasted 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, 17 hours, and 32-1/2 minutes, and was rescinded on December 5, 1933, at 3:32 p.m.
  • Centuries ago in England, pub visitors used a novel innovation that enabled them to get their beer served quickly. They used mugs with a whistle baked into the rim, the whistle being used to summon the barmaid. It has been suggested this practice gave birth to the phrase “wet your whistle.”
  • Beer is the third-most popular drink on Earth, after water and tea.
  • In 2016, people consumed nearly 50 billion gallons of beer worldwide.
  • The Czech Republic consumes the most beer per capita of any country in the world, and China consumes the most overall.
  • As of 2017, California had by far the most breweries in the United States, with 1,106. Washington is a distant second with 499.
  • McDonald’s offers beer on its menu in many countries, including France, Germany, Portugal, and South Korea.
  • Women did the majority of beer brewing in ancient Egypt.
  • The strongest beer in the world is “Snake Venom,” brewed by Scottish brewery Brewmeister. It is 67.5% alcohol by volume (abv). For comparison, most vodka is 40% abv, with beers typically between 3% and 10% abv.
  • Approximately 48% of Americans drink at sporting events, with beer being the drink of choice.
  • Rogue Ales, an Oregon brewery, created a “Beard Beer” using yeast grown in their brewmaster’s beard
  • Strange craft beer ingredients used by contemporary brewers include coffee, oatmeal, avocado, cookie dough, chipotle peppers, seaweed, oysters, candy corn, squid ink, blue cheese, pastrami, and pig brain.
  • Beer cans debuted way back in 1933
  • The world’s best-selling beer is Snow!  Snow is the name of a beer brewed for the Chinese market, and it’s cheap: 49 cents for a can, according to Quartz. Perhaps not surprisingly, since there are over 1 billion people in China, it’s also the world’s largest beer market by volume.
  • New Hampshire consumes the most beer than any other state, according to a report by 24/7 Wall Street. The 2017 report found that the Live Free or Die state drinks 41.7 gallons of beer annually per capita. Montana and South Dakota followed closely behind with 39.1 gallons and 38.6 gallons of beer respectively.
  • Beer still remains important today as roughly 1.75 million Americans have jobs as a result of the American beer industry.
  • The largest museum dedicated to beermaking is in Altenburg, Germany.
  • The oldest brewery in the world today is the Weihenstephan brewery in Freising, Germany. It was founded in 1040.
  • Beer pong is a drinking game. Although it is still disputed where beer pong exactly originated from, it first emerged in the ’50s.
  • If ‘oenology’ is the study of wine, ‘zythology’ is the study of beer. Zythology provides more insight on beer’s ingredients, sophistication, and brewing process.

Sources:

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