Kifli has gathered the most interesting facts and stories about beer for you, which you probably have never heard before. Amazement and smiles are guaranteed!

 

Beer was brewed in ancient times

 

The origin of beer is somewhat obscure, but it is certain that it was consumed in ancient China (brewed from rice, with honey, grapes, and hawthorn) and in ancient Egypt – the latter unfiltered. The tradition of beer brewing was first documented by the Mesopotamians, and there is even a reference to it on the law code of Hammurabi, the Babylonian king.

 

The pyramid builders were paid with it

The Egyptian pyramid builders were paid every day with a gallon of beer. At that time, it was thick and chunky, made from nourishing barley bread flavored with dates, providing plenty of energy for hard physical labor. So, perhaps without beer, there would be no pyramids either...

 

In the Middle Ages, more beer was consumed than water

In the historically dubious period of the Middle Ages, so much beer was consumed that it far surpassed water consumption. The most prosaic reason for this was that water was often contaminated. Beer, although not as tasty as it is today – think of a simple barley brew without hops – was consumed by all social classes and age groups, including children.

 

The Great London Beer Flood

If your beer spills, it's terrible. But if 388,000 gallons spill, well, that's a disaster. This happened in 1814 in London when a huge storage tank at the Meux and Company brewery burst, releasing nearly one and a half million liters of beer onto the city. The beer flood resulted in at least eight fatalities.

 

Survives the atomic bomb

In 1950s America, experiments were conducted to see what happens when various drinks are exposed to an atomic bomb explosion. According to the results, beers found as close as 250 meters from the explosion were still consumable, although their cans became radioactive.

 

Did you know this?

The father of medicine, Hippocrates, also recorded the medicinal properties of beer, noting its antipyretic and diuretic effects. An interesting tidbit is that the main ingredient of beer, hops, and marijuana belong to the same plant family, so they are related. The small ridges at the bottom of beer bottles are there to prevent slipping, ensuring that the bottles stand stably on the production line.

After this, every sip of beer will taste different, right? Invite your friends over, order your favorite beers to your doorstep, and share these surprising facts about your favorite drink between clinks!

 

Sources: 1, 2, 3