Fresh-Brewed Facts About Beer
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
- Benjamin Franklin
Beer has a special place in history. It's been among the most beloved beverages on the planet for thousands of years. It's inspired artists, fueled armies, and encouraged countless thousands of reckless (or fun) decisions.
In honor of that tradition, we present these fresh-brewed facts about beer. Enjoy.
Beer Facts
1. The Pilgrims Loved Their Suds
It's an accepted reality of the human condition that one or two beers or eleven beers can drive us to some pretty outrageous antics. But what's less understood is that a lack of beer can be even worse...
For one example, take those famous pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock, aboard the Mayflower: if the ship's logs are to be believed, it might well have been a beer shortage which prompted them to stop.
The ship was originally destined to arrive in Virginia, but a diary entry from a passenger confirmed that the wind was taken out of the ship’s sails early... once there was no more beer to drink.
What happened to those notorious puritans we all hear so much about? The ones we might associate more with prudish pursuits, than a reckless taste for beer?
Well, in fairness, it's worth remembering that the trip from England to the New World took roughly 2 months by sea. If you were stuck on a wooden dingy with 120 other starving, smelly Puritans... wouldn't you reach for the good stuff too?
2. Barrels > Kegs
Most Americans are used to seeing kegs of beer, which contain about 15.5 gallons of beer each. That's a lot.
A barrel of beer, though, can hold... a little bit more. How much? How about a whopping 31 gallons of golden oat soda? That's, right, a barrel is about twice the size of a keg.
Which means a lot of us have been partying wrong all this time. Barrel-stand anyone?
3. Jugs Came First. Then Bottles. Now We Have...
For most of human history, if you were going to be serving beer in anything other than the jug it was made in, a glass bottle was how you did it. That was just an accepted practice.
But, like all things, even that time-tested tradition was ripe for change, and in 1935 the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company of Newark, New Jersey showed the world a brand new way of doing things. They began selling their beer in cans... which caused more than a little bit of a stir. After all, at the time a beverage that came in a can was more than a bit of a novelty—it came with some pretty negative connotations. Canned food was considered cheap and low-class (some would still argue still is... although they need to meet one Chef Boyardee).
Regardless, though, Gottfried Krueger had the last laugh: By the end of the year, 37 breweries followed their lead. Proving once again that there is one ultimate truth about human beings: we'll drink our beer out of literally anything.
