Beer is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks in the world. There are a large number of varieties that differ in taste, strength and richness. Beer can be either a separate, independent dish, or a pleasant addition to the meal.
This ancient drink is rooted in the distant past and many brewing recipes are kept secret and handed down from generation to generation. The main ingredient for this drink is hops, whose beneficial properties have long been proven by scientists.
In the next ranking, we will tell about interesting facts about beer and its amazing properties.
10. Beer began to drink about 9.5 thousand years BC
Beer is the oldest drink that came to us from the Neolithic.. This drink is the same age as wine, kvass and honey. In almost all corners of the world, beer was brewed and the results of archaeological excavations prove this. Beer was consumed in Ancient Greece, Rome, China, Egypt and even in Armenia.
It is proved that ancient people began to grow crops not for bread, but for beer.
9. It possessed healing properties for people of antiquity.
They learned to brew beer in ancient times. We drank beer not only for the pleasant effect of intoxication, but also because of its healing properties.. The fact is that the low quality of food and water in ancient times was the cause of epidemics and claimed many lives.
Beer, thanks to the fermentation it causes, killed pathogenic bacteria and quite successfully performed the role of a medicine. From beer, people deprived of access to vitamins and minerals received their necessary supply for the normal functioning of the body.
In the Middle Ages, even children drank beer. In such a strange and wild way for us, getting calcium and silicon. Another achievement of beer is the presence in it of antioxidants necessary for metabolism. In addition, it has been proven that beer helps prevent cancer.
8. The division of the drink into varieties began only in 1935
Today, more than four hundred different types of beer are known in the world. In addition to the varieties known and familiar to us, there are also very unusual ones.
For example, there is a beer with the taste of chocolate, hot pepper, pizza and ice cream. There is a beer with a taste of milk. But for orthodox beer fans invented three classifications of the drink - ale, lager and mixed.
With mixed fermentation, beer is exposed to the environment and the result is an unfiltered drink with acidity. Most likely, even stranger tastes will appear over time, but it is worth noting that the division of beer into varieties began only in 1935.
7. Initially, brewing was a female occupation.
Now beer and brewing is associated with men, but initially only women brewed beer. The most interesting thing is that only beautiful women were selected for this vacancy.
Men began to make a hop drink only at the end of the 18th century. Even the patrons of beer in many countries were goddesses. So, for example, in Egypt there was Menket, or Ninkashi among the Sumerians.
6. In popularity, the third drink
Beer is the third most popular drink on Earth.. The funny thing is that the first places were won not by wine, not whiskey and not cognac, but tea and ordinary water.
Every second in the world, someone is drunk. And at least ten million people are drunk from beer. They drink beer at the cinema, at picnics, at parties, and even, sometimes, at funerals. In addition to a pleasant taste, giving high spirits, beer has a number of useful properties, the most obvious of which is quenching of boredom and thirst.
5. Able to saturate the body with nutrients
It is believed that beer can decently get fat, but in fact there are fewer calories in it than, for example, in juice and milk. Beer can help quench not only thirst, but also replenish nutrients in the body..
It has a lot of protein and vitamin B, even more than wine. It is also an excellent source of minerals, which are necessary for various metabolic processes. But the benefit becomes noticeable only in the moderate use of this drink.
4. Kentucky has the largest beer museum
There are many incredible museums in the world. Everyone is already accustomed to large wine museums with tasting. But Kentucky went further and created a beer museum, because this drink is recognized as the most consumed in the whole world.
The building houses more than a million different exhibits, not counting the brewing equipment, labels and corks. In the museum you can trace the entire history of beer in this state and in America as a whole.
And of course, there is a huge beer house that accommodates 1,000 people who want to taste a hop-drink.
3. Oktoberfest - the most famous and large-scale beer festival
This drink is so legendary that in honor of it they organize real festivals, where beer lovers gather. The spirit of the festival is enclosed in a large number of different sorts of beer, funny songs, colorful outfits and crowds of tourists.
The event is held 185 times. The last festival was held in Munich for 17 days from September 22 to October 7. Famous Munich snacks were served with different types of beer: flavored pretzels, juicy meat on a spit and grilled chicken.
The event is attended by 6-7 million people and drink 7-8 liters of beer. Oktoberfest combines ancient traditions and modern opportunities. Therefore, the atmosphere at the festival is incredible.
More than half of the participants are residents of Germany and Bavaria, and only 30% are participants from all over the world. Festival participants go in these traditional costumes and come up with something unusual every year.
2. Levenbroy - the oldest of the beer brands
This brand belongs to the largest beer production corporation - Anheuser-Busch InBev. The share in the world market is 28%. The first mention of this brewery was in 1746.
This brewery owns the oldest beer garden. This is a special type of open-air restaurant where people come to sit under the shade of trees, drink excellent beer with their snacks.
In Russia, this brand has existed since 1999. In four Russian cities, the company produces beer, on the bottles of which it says "Lowenbrau Original».
The brewery owes its good reputation to comply with the law on beer cleanliness. This law said that the composition should be only three ingredients: water, barley and hops. An ideal formula and nothing more. Only in 1975, beer was made according to modern recipes.
1. “Snake Venom” is the strongest beer
As a rule, beer is a low alcohol drink. But the strongest beer in the world has a strength of 67.5%. Unusual beer is almost 20 times stronger than usual beer, moreover, it even surpasses vodka in the fortress.
Beer was made from special malt smoked on peat and two different types of yeast. The taste of beer is quite sharp, but does not lose the beer flavor, while maintaining notes of hops and malt. The inscription on the bottle strongly recommends drinking the drink in small sips. Beer was the result of a brewery race to produce the strongest hop product.
The previous brainchild of two Scottish brewers, one of which was named Levish Shend, and the second John Mackenzie, was beer with a strength of 65%. It was called no less promising - "Armageddon."