Sit back with a pint and enjoy these 10 facts that you probably didn't know about your favourite beverage, the humble beer.
1. Beer is one of the oldest beverages in the world
Mentions of beer appeared dating back to 5,000 BC making it one of the worlds oldest beverages.
2. Monks improved beer production in the Middle Ages
A long time ago, beer was mainly brewed at home because bread was made at home as well! When bread was made, the incomplete baked loaf was taken as the starting culture for brewing beer. This is one daily routine we can get behind!
3. The Czechs are world's biggest beer drinkers
The Czechs have the world's largest consumption of beer per head of population -around 191 liters per year! Below are the top 8 beer-drinking countries in for comparison:
The top 8 beer-drinking countries
1. Czech Republic - 191.8 liters per capita
2. Austria - 107.6
3. Germany - 101.1
4. Romania - 98.9
5. Poland - 98.2
6. Ireland - 95.8
7. Spain - 86.0
8. Slovakia - 83.9
4. The Egyptians were drinking beer when they built the pyramids
There is a theory that was determined by an American archaeologist - the builders drank around 4 liters of beer every day! This is because beer was considered healthier to drink compared to the water from the Nile. That must mean some of the men were slightly tipsy. Wonder how they still managed to make the pyramids so magnificent?
5. What do you call the fear of an empty beer glass?
The fear of having an empty beer glass is called cenosillicaphobia! Yes, that is what it is called.
6. Carbon dioxide create beer foam
Did you know that the formation of a frothy head when you pour a beer is a natural process? During fermentation, the yeast changes the malt sugars in the beer wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide. When you pour beer into a glass, the carbon dioxide is released to create the foam.
7. The world's strongest beer is called Snake Venom
"Snake Venom" is officially the world's strongest beer at 67.5% ABV! It is brewed in Moray from smoked, peated malt using two varieties of yeast, one beer and one Champagne. Like other ultra high strength beers it is frozen several times after the fermentation process, and the ice crystals removed. This concentrates the alcohol, flavour, and body of the beer as water is removed each time. The beer is then fortified with alcohol to increase its strength further.
8. Water makes up 90% of beer
Beer is made up of life's greatest resource - water. Sometimes you may come across brews that is described as having or mimicking a regional style like "German lager" or "Irish Stout". This isn't just describing how the beer is made, but also how the beer takes on characters of the local water.
9. Beer was illegal in Iceland until 1989
Iceland was the first country in Europe to prohibit all alcoholic beverages in 1915. But, while other forms of alcohol became legalised from as early as 1922, poor old beer remained banned until 1 March 1989. So why did beer take so much longer than everything else?
Iceland had long battled with Denmark over their independence and, as the Danes were big fans of a brew, it was viewed as unpatriotic to enjoy one. When bans on other alcohol began to lift in the following decades, the government were concerned that the availability of cheap beer would encourage alcohol abuse.
Finally, 74 years later, following protests and pressure from other nearby countries as illegal imports increased, they lifted the ban. This date is now celebrated in Iceland as "Beer Day". Skál!
10. Beer is the third most popular drink in the world
Coming in right behind water and tea. That's not bad at all!
Bonus Fact
Taps Beer Bar has 14 beer taps and the beers are changed regularly! Check out what's on tap and find your new favourite brew.