40 facts about beer

We often hear about alcohol sometimes in the newspapers, on TV and sometimes in our neighbourhood. The news of drunken driving and accidents is heard every day. But do you know that wine, beer, champagne, rum, all these are different that fall under the category of alcoholic drinks? In this article, we will only talk about beer, but before that, we tell you the difference between different alcoholic drinks so that you never get confused about them and if you ever get a chance to drink some of these with friends, then you can tell the difference between these with full confidence.

    Wine is made by simply rotting the grapes, in this process, the carbohydrates of the grapes are converted into alcohol. On the other hand, barley or other sources of carbohydrates are rotten to make beer. In both processes, alcohol is made which is intoxicating, but grapes are used in making wine. The method of making whiskey is similar to that of beer. For making whiskey, just after fermentation, it is stored in acacia wood for a long time so that the taste and color can be generated into it. And if we talk about rum, then rum is made by fermenting sugarcane juice and then distilling it. Vodka, like whiskey or beer, is made by fermenting barley or wheat and then distilling it. Champagne is nothing but the wine that sparkles due to bubbles of carbon dioxide and is called Champagne due to its formation in the place named Champagne in France.

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” -Benjamin Franklin

• Beer is the third most popular drink on Earth after water and tea. According to a report, in 2016, about 190 billion liters of beer was drunk all over the world.

• There are two types of alcoholic beverages, low alcohol content (less than 15%) and high alcohol content (above 30%). The alcohol present in beer is not digested in the body, rather it is absorbed directly into the internal organs of the body.

• The Czech Republic has the most beer per capita of any country at 192 liters per year. Whereas if we talk about the consumption of most beer, then China is at the top position.

• Although beer has been made since ancient times, but some evidence of beer-making has been found in the western region of Iran since 3500 AD, which is considered to be the evidence of the oldest beer-making ever.

• The alcohol content in beer made all over the world may vary, but the alcohol content in the beer sold in India varies from 5 to 12%.

• The ancient Egyptians relied on beer more than water for drinking. Drinking beer provided them the essential vitamins; and beer was cleaner and safer to drink compared to drinking the dirty water of the Nile,

• There is also a branch for the education of beer in science which is called zythology. In which the process of making beer, their ingredients and nuances are studied. Similarly, the education of wine is called oenology.

• The world's largest beer company (brewery) is Belgium's Anheuser-Busch InBev. Which makes famous beers like Budweiser and Corona.

• The world's oldest beer maker is The Benedictine monks located in Bavaria, Germany. This company was formed in the year 1040 AD, which is still operating on today.  

• When the great scientist Neil Bohr won the Nobel Prize in Physics, the Carlsberg brewing company laid a beer pipeline from its factory to his house so that he could drink beer for free for the rest of his life.

• The cost of the world's most expensive beer is $503,300. This beer was brewed in 1875 and has been preserved since then. However, this beer is so old that it cannot be drunk. Its value was estimated by conducting an online auction in which 50 people had bid.

• Talking about the most expensive beer sold in the market, it is 'Vielle Bon Secours' which is brewed in Belgium. A bottle of this beer costs around $1000.

• Foam is common when brewing beer: during fermentation, yeast converts barley or sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide. When beer is poured into the glass, this carbon dioxide is released and forms the foam.

• When beer is poured into the glass, froth is formed on the top surface, from this foam the quality of the beer can be ascertained. If the froth is very less, it means that the fermentation process has not been done properly while making the beer. If there is a lot of froth, then the quality of the beer is good. This froth is made up of proteins, yeast and other ingredients present in beer. It is also believed that the smell of beer also comes due to this froth without which beer is not enjoyed.

• When Barack Obama was the President of America, he used to make his own beer in the White House, for which a factory was built in the White House itself, and he was the first President to do so.

• Drinking the right amount of beer reduces the risk of kidney stones by up to 40%. However, on the contrary, drinking too much increases the risk of kidney stones.

• Drinking beer reduces the risk of heart diseases, stroke, type-2 diabetes, ulcers. Consumption of beer increases the amount of good cholesterol in the body. But it should be kept in mind that all these benefits are due to the consumption of beer in a controlled quantity, excessive consumption is harmful.

• Drinking too much beer causes heartburn. Excessive consumption of beer damages the alimentary canal due to which heartburn starts.

• According to a study conducted in Japan, consumption of beer protects the body from radiation. In the study, it was found that radiation caused less damage to the chromosomes of people who consumed beer, while their chromosomes were more damaged who did not consume beer.

Pic Source: brewscruise

• Until the invention of the thermometer, the temperature of beer was measured with the fingers. During brewing beer, it is necessary to have a correct temperature of water, so before adding yeast to that water, the temperature was estimated by dipping the finger into the water. Otherwise, if the temperature of the water is high, then the yeast will die after addition and if the temperature is low then the growth of the yeast will not stop.

• Drinking too much beer can lead to dehydration, so it is advisable to drink water in between while drinking beer. In fact, the beer we drink goes out of the body through breath, sweat and urine. The liver needs a lot of water in this process, otherwise the liver will suffer a lot. If the beer drinker does not drink water in between, then the liver will be forced to take it from other organs to fulfil the lack of water. Due to this reason, the person starts complaining of headache and dehydration.

• During World War II, there was a bear in the Polish army named Wojtek who helped soldiers pick up and reposition their weapons, in exchange he was given beer to drink.

• Every year in Finland, there is a Wife Carrying World Championship, in which people lift their wife and race. The winner of this race is get beer equal to the weight of his wife as a reward.

• When the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt was being built, the builders were given beer as a daily allowance.

• The record for the fastest beer drinking was set in 1977 by Steven Petrosino, who made a Guinness World Record by drinking a liter of beer in just 1.3 seconds, which is still held today.

• The record for drinking the most beer is named after an Englishman named Peter Dowdeswell, who made a Guinness World Record by drinking 45 liters of beer within three hours. Whereas the record for drinking the most beer in one sitting is named after Andre the Giant, who drank 41 liters of beer in 6 hours in just one sitting.

• Vikings are considered one of the bravest fighters in the world. They used to drink beer by pouring it into the skulls of their enemies.

• The world's strongest beer is Brewmeister's Snake Venom beer, which has an alcohol content of 67.5%, while the alcohol content of normal beer is around 5%.

• In 1814, large containers of beer exploded at a beer factory in St Giles Rookery, London, causing all the beer in these containers to be blown away. When the beer was flowing, a 15 feet high wave formed and the neighbouring houses were badly damaged. 8 people died due to this beer wave. However, the court did not punish the factory owner as they believed that it was a divine catastrophe.

• In Amsterdam, Netherlands, an organization named Rainbow Group keeps alcoholics to clean up the city and give them beer as part of their wage. 

• In 2001, some Belgian schools began giving children low-alcohol beers at lunch, believing these beers were healthier than sodas.

• There are a few beer spas in the Czech Republic where people can bathe in beer for 20 minutes. The spa company says that it increases blood circulation, the pores of the body open, the skin becomes soft and the body also gets vitamins. 

• People can die or even go blind due to drinking of poor quality alcohol.

Why do we get intoxicated after drinking alcohol?
Alcohol is lighter than blood, so after mixing in our blood, it makes the blood lighter and thinner. Compared to other organs in our body, mostly alcohol-diluted blood is made in the ear. There is a gel in our ear called a cupula and along with it are tiny hair-like sensors that keep on giving signals to the brain about the balance of the body. After drinking alcohol, this cupula gel also becomes thinner and starts floating and moving just like any liquid. When it starts swimming, the hair sensor attached to it starts sending the wrong message to the brain that the centre of gravity of the body is changing and its balance is disturbed. By receiving the wrong message, the brain also starts reacting wrongly to balance the whole body. That's why we feel dizzy and we remain intoxicated. This process continues as long as the alcohol keeps on diluting that cupula gel, till then we remain intoxicated.
Why do you say cheers before drinking alcohol?
The practice of saying cheers by banging the glasses together before drinking wine started in Rome. This was a way in which people wanted to be sure that none of them wanted to poison the other. People used to bang each other's glasses so that the wine filled in the glasses spilled into each other's glasses. There was a similar practice in ancient Greece, in which the host of drinker of the banquet used to drink wine first, by doing so he wanted to show that he was not poisoning other people.
Why do we get intoxicated after drinking alcohol?

Alcohol is lighter than blood, so after mixing in our blood, it makes the blood lighter and thinner. Compared to other organs in our body, mostly alcohol-diluted blood is made in the ear. There is a gel in our ear called a cupula and along with it are tiny hair-like sensors that keep on giving signals to the brain about the balance of the body. After drinking alcohol, this cupula gel also becomes thinner and starts floating and moving just like any liquid. When it starts swimming, the hair sensor attached to it starts sending the wrong message to the brain that the centre of gravity of the body is changing and its balance is disturbed. By receiving the wrong message, the brain also starts reacting wrongly to balance the whole body. That's why we feel dizzy and we remain intoxicated. This process continues as long as the alcohol keeps on diluting that cupula gel, till then we remain intoxicated.