Beer Facts

[dragon wench]

• Three out of the top five most popular imported beers in the US are Canadian: Molson, Moosehead and Labatt.

• There are 19 different versions of Guinness.

• The first beer cans were produced in 1935.

• Germany consumes the largest amount of beer per capita of any nation. The US produces the most in general.

• Beer is the least fattening alcoholic drink with only 13 calories per ounce.

• Estimated amount of homebrew produced in the US in 1929, during Prohibition: 700,000,000 gallons.

• In Texas, it is not legal to take more than three sips of beer while standing.

• In 1880, there were 2,272 American breweries. In 1990, there were only around 60.

• Before thermometers, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the mix to determine the right temperature for adding yeast. This is where we get the phrase "rule of thumb".

• In Old England, a whistle was baked into the ceramic rims or handles of beer mugs so that customers could whistle for service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

• Also in Old England, ale was ordered by the pint and the quart. When customers got unruly, the bartender would tell them to mind their pints and quarts. This is where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's".

• In Babylonia 4,000 years ago, it was customary after a wedding for the bride's father to supply his son-in-law with all the beer he could drink for a month.

• After consuming beer, Vikings would often head fearlessly into battle without armour or even shirts. This is where we get the term "berserk", which means "bare shirt" in Norse.

[Rob-hin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon wench • Germany consumes the largest amount of beer per capita of any nation. The US produces the most in general.

Yet Germany has a huge overcapacity of beerbreweries and many of them are going bankrumpt.

[Paranitis]

Quote:

• In Texas, it is not legal to take more than three sips of beer while standing.

So on 'King of the Hill' the boys are breaking the law by standing in their ally drinking beer after beer? Hahahaha! Stupid Texas.

[Galuf the Dwarf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon wench • After consuming beer, Vikings would often head fearlessly into battle without armour or even shirts. This is where we get the term "berserk", which means "bare shirt" in Norse.

Actually, it's more believed by historians that Viking berserkers consumed narcotics (likely some sort of mushroom).

[Chanak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragon wench • After consuming beer, Vikings would often head fearlessly into battle without armour or even shirts. This is where we get the term "berserk", which means "bare shirt" in Norse.

Kinda funny actually. Actually, they were often naked (celtic woad warriors often were as well; they would paint their bodies in the belief that the symbols had power and would protect them in battle), and it is thought they consumed a sort of mushroom or other substance which would assist in inciting a psychotic rage.

EDIT: oops, I see Galuf mentioned the narcotic use there. Sorry.

[Moonbiter]

To put some points right here: The vikings were practically NEVER naked in battle. It's a bollocks myth. They wore scale mail, leather hauberks, helmets (without any horns) and large, round wooden shields, often spiked. Their weapons were the attgeir, a small, heavy tipped throwing spear, of which they carried 2 or 3 and would throw an incredibly deadly volley while charging. They hefted large, single bladed battleaxes with curved handles, and some carried heavy spears. They also employed archers using composite short bows made of bone and wood. Only later in their history did they start using swords and square shields.
As for the Berserk, it was an elite fighting unit consisting of the largest, meanest and most retarded guys in the schoolyard. Every tribe had a couple of them, and they were revered as heroes as they were supposedly "touched by the gods." These are the guys who're the basis for the myth about butt-nekkid vikings, as they would usually go into battle wearing only the fur of their totem animal. Their derangement were enhanced by the shamans and priests by feeding them a nasty diet of alcohol, magic mushrooms and something we call Redcap, which is the fairy tale mushroom with the red hood and the white spots, and it will murder your kidneys while leaving you in a state of rage and paranoia.
As for drinking beer before battle, yes. The vikings, like many supposedly primitive cultures knew basic surgery, which was of course outlawed when the bible-thumpers came along and said everything could be cured with leeches and prayer. Hence, the vikings went to battle on an empty stomack, because they knew that if they got a belly wound with undigested food inside, they were doomed to a slow and incredibly painful death. If they had only fluids inside, there was a slight chance the womenfolk could stich them up and they would live to fight again. So they fasted before a battle, and drank beer to avoid the worst pangs of hunger. Naturally, being hammered when going to war also induced a certain lack of fear.

Quote:

In 1880, there were 2,272 American breweries. In 1990, there were only around 60.

And they still can't get it right...

[Chanak]

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Originally Posted by Moonbiter And they still can't get it right...

Pah! Mostly true, with some exceptions: Samuel Adams is a good brew (once microbrewed, now big time), and there's a microbrewery here in TX that makes some good stuff. Can't remember the name for the life of me though.

Sam Adams' Boston lager is pretty good, and so is the pale ale. Pete's Wicked Ale isn't that bad either, come to think of it. Pete's is good for chasing Mad Dog. I'm pretty confident that my tastes in beer would hold well with most who imbibe real beer, since I cut my beer-teeth as a teenager in Germany.

[Galuf the Dwarf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chanak Kinda funny actually. Actually, they were often naked (celtic woad warriors often were as well; they would paint their bodies in the belief that the symbols had power and would protect them in battle), and it is thought they consumed a sort of mushroom or other substance which would assist in inciting a psychotic rage.

I knew an corresponding aide in high school who once used woad. He used to be in a hard rock band around the dawn of said music style, who painted themselves up with that. His bandmates experienced their share of hallucinations from it, he said.

Still, they did keep their clothes on, and mainly had to make sure they didn't let the woad paint get into their bloodstream (as in by open wounds of any sort). Wacky, isn't it?

[Skuld]

Sam Adams is one of the better widely available not so microbrews in the states, but if you do a little reasearch Sam Adams the patriot was actually a really horrible brewer and that career didn't last long.

And about the berserks, the name actually came from the fact that they wore bear skins to play on the fear that the people they attacked already had for wild animals. Etymologically speaking berserk is derived from bear sark or bear shirt. They were also called Ulfeonar or wolfskin-clad-ones this all depended on what they happened to be wearing on that particular raid. Check out www.pantheon.org for all kinds of neat stuff.

[Chanak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skuld Sam Adams is one of the better widely available not so microbrews in the states, but if you do a little reasearch Sam Adams the patriot was actually a really horrible brewer and that career didn't last long.

Let's be thankful the only resemblance the beer bears to the man is the namesake.