Hildegard von Bingen (1098 – 1179), was not only the first to add hops to beer; she was also a doctor, philosopher, composer, poet, adviser to the Pontiff, Kings and other dignitaries. She was one of the first to defend women’s rights and wrote the first literature on the female orgasm.
She was a Nun of this, a Nun of that and a Nun of the other.
_______________________________________________________________
The oldest brewery still brewing is Weihenstephan Abbey in Germany. It has been brewing beer for nearly 1,000 years and continues to brew to this day, although it is no longer officially an abbey.
Brewing for 1000 years? That concoction must be ready now, surely!
_____________________________________________________________
In brewing abbeys during the Middle Ages, fasting monks were allowed to drink five liters of beer per day. That’s almost 5 litres!
Give us today our liquid bread. 5 a day. So much liquid toast is an unholy hangover.
_________________________________________________________
The ancient Babylonians were so particular about maintaining good standards of beer quality that brewers who produced naff beer drowned in it.
Too slow.
_______________________________________________________________
The first consumer protection law ever written was for beer. On April 23, 1516, the beer-loving Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria introduced a piece of legislation called the Reinheitsgebot. It was a brewing purity law that limited the ingredients in beer to just barley, hops, yeast, and water. It still exists today, some 500 years later, but sadly only in Bavaria.
The duke rummaged through his urn to see the synthetic flavourings, E numbers and colorings used in some of the most dubious beers of modern times.
_______________________________________________________________
The women of the Inca tribes brew a form of beer called Chicha. It’s made from corn, but instead of barley starches being converted into fermentable sugars using barley’s own alpha and beta amylase enzymes, Chicha uses the salivary enzyme of, yes, salivary amylase to break down those corn starches. The women of the town chew the corn and then SPIT it into the macerator, their saliva helping to convert the corn starches into fermentable sugars.
Sounds lovely.
_______________________________________________________________
Egyptian pyramid workers were paid in part with beer. The beer was called “kash” and this is where the word “cash” originates.
What would you like Kash or Czech?
_______________________________________________________________
Bass Beers’ triangular logo was the world’s first trademark. A devoted employee of Bass stayed overnight outside the recorder’s office on New Year’s Eve 1876, only for Bass to be first in line when the office opened in the morning. This famous logo can be seen in paintings by Manet and Picasso.
That beats TV advertising in style.
_______________________________________________________
In America, the Pilgrims planned to go further south to warmer climates, but landed on Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer.
I wonder who owned the liquor store.
__________________________________________________________
The American national anthem, ‘The Star Spangled Banner’, was originally an old English drinking song from a famous London men’s club. It was previously called ‘To Anacreon in Heaven’ and the original words were a dedication to the ancient Greek bard who wrote songs and poetry celebrating alcohol, women and songs.
I’ll toast to that. HIC!
_________________________________________________________
At any given time, it is estimated that 0.7% of the entire world is drunk.
I’ll drink for it! HIC!
_______________________________________________________
In medieval England, beer was served with breakfast.
I’m going to HIC to that! To drink!
_________________________________________________________
George Washington owned his own brewery.
Is that the First Lady? No, she is the thirst, ma’am.
__________________________________________________________
Old World English drinkers often brought their own tankards to the pub. Some had whistles on the handles so that, in noisy bars, the drinker could get the attention of the bar staff. Therefore, the term for drinking a beer is “wetting the whistle”.
I’d rather lower my whistle.
_______________________________________________________
In 1814, an exploded beer vat destroyed a brewery and two houses. 100,000 gallons of beer flooded the surrounding streets of London and several unlucky people lost their lives.
It gives a whole new meaning to having a head in your beer.
______________________________________________________
Guinness scientists say that a pint of beer rises about ten times, with about 0.56ml being lost to drinkers’ facial hair each time. In fact, Britain alone wastes 92,749 liters of beer each year to mustaches and beards.
That’s why I always ruffle my beard before putting down my glass.
_____________________________________________________
Stella Artois used to be called simply ‘Artois’. He acquired the addition ‘Stella’ (meaning Star) because that was the name of his popular Christmas beer.
They wished it could be Chrisrmas every day. Judging by the sales figures, it has been.
____________________________________________________
The Scaffold’s hit song ‘Lily The Pink’ was about the alleged hallucination effect of alcoholism (pink elephants). One of the vocalists for the songs was Sir Tim Rice, famous lyricist from Broadway to Disney.
Luckily, hers is a single foray into singing. Do not call us, we call you.
_______________________________________________________
In 1948, the Luxembourg branch of Alcoholics Anonymous had only 2 members.
Something tells me there were other alcoholics out there, but they were far from anonymous.
________________________________________________________
The 1974 annual dinner and dance for the Belfast branch of Alcoholics Anonymous turned into a major brawl after bar staff served recovering alcoholics nearly £400 worth of booze.
Anyone for punch?
