The Oldest Known Written Recipe Is For Beer.

There is little doubt as to why beer is believed to be the third most popular drink behind water and tea, and while lager is typically characterized as a light, Summer beer we believe that every season deserves to be celebrated with a few of your favorite things.

Lagers are distinguished from other beers as using a cold-conditioning process.

• Born in the 19th century Bavaria Lager was the result of brewers experimenting with the benefits of storing beer for long periods in cold environments. Brewed using a bottom-fermenting yeast this beer would then be transported to places where the temperature remained low, first in cellars, and then transported to the caves of the Alps.
• Deep within this frozen cellars of the Earth they would be packed in ice from the mountains or lakes and left to “lager” over the summer. The word Lager itself speaks of this method, being derived from the German word for “to store”, Lagern.
• In the 19th century, even this process resulted in a much darker Lager than we’re used to today, partially as a result of the heavier waters of the area, but the refinement of the process lead to the beautiful golden beverage many Lager lovers drink today.
• Lager styles include Pilsners,  Helles, Dunkels, Bocks, Schwarzbiers and Oktoberfests (to name a few).
• The first US lager was brewed in 1840 by John Wagner, who had a small brewery in the back of his house on St. John Street in Philadelphia. Wagner brought the first lager yeast to the United States from a brewery in Bavaria.
• The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, not because it was their intended destination (they were on course to sail well south), but they settled on the destination up north simply because they ran out of beer.
• Most lagers are fairly light in color, highly carbonated with a medium hop flavor. The original German lager was dark in color.
• Beer is the 3rd most consumed beverage in the world behind water and tea.
• King Gambrinus is known as the “patron saint of beer” (not to be confused with St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewing).
• The oldest known written recipe is for beer.
• Lager beer is the dominant beer style throughout the brewing world today, except in England where Ale is the primary style of beer consumed in England.
• Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty glass.
• Once you know that lagers can be diverse, unique, and engaging, it’s worth exploring all of their subtle (and not-so-subtle) differences. Pouring your lager into a glass that helps concentrate its aroma and gives you a clear look at its color will heighten the sensory experience and take your National Lager Day to the next level.
•  In 2010, the world’s oldest drinkable beer was found on a Baltic Sea shipwreck. The ship is believed to have sailed over 200 years ago.
• Craft Beer is good for your bones! Beer has high levels of silicon, which promotes strong bones.
• Frosty glasses will cause your beer to foam
• Ancient Egyptian texts have been found that contain over 100 medicinal uses for beer.
•  In the 1600s, midwives created super-strong beer to ease the pain of labour!
•  “Hangover” in Norwegian is directly translated to “carpenters in the head”.
•  You can use beer to shine up any old copper items.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Days of the Year

Mobile-Cuisine

Mental Floss

Capetown Magazine