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Facts about beer

We found 20 facts about beer

World’s third most popular beverage

It is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages produced. The first archaeological evidence of brewing dates back 13,000 years ago from the territory of Israel. Over thousands of years, the drink’s recipe evolved and the thick, fermented slurry of prehistoric times gave rise to dozens of styles of beer consumed today.

Beer
1
Beer was a very common beverage back in ancient times.

Beer is mentioned in early ancient Egypt records. It appears in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian epic poem, dating back to the end of the third millennium BC. After the collapse of the Sumerian civilization, the art of brewing was taken over by the Babylonians.

2
Its continuous popularity makes it the world's third most commonly drunk beverage.

Only water and tea are consumed more often.

3
The Sumerians used bread to prepare beer.

This was the simplest way to produce ancient beer, as only bread and water are required for alcoholic fermentation. The Sumerians were the first civilization to document the production of this beverage.

4
The Blau Monuments–Sumerian inscribed stones dating back 6,000 years–depict women making beer from spelt.

In the Sumerian culture, beer production was toiled by women, as brewing was under the protection of female deities. The Blau Monuments exhibited at the Louvre, is the world’s oldest document containing information on beer production.

5
The Sumerians produced two kinds of beer - dark and light.

Dark, stronger beer, consumed by men, was divided into sixteen kinds. Women consumed light wheat beer.

6
There are four crucial ingredients in the production of beer: water, barley malt, hops, and yeast.

The process of creating beer begins with malting the fresh barley. Secondly, soaked barley is milled to ensure it dissolves in water properly. Then it undergoes mashing and is later filtered to extract wort. Wort is then boiled and seasoned with hops which determine the taste of the final product. Once the yeast is added, it undergoes fermentation, which can last for several months.

7
Barley provides starch, which is converted into fermentable sugars.

Many breweries replace some of the malts with unmalted raw materials with similar properties.

8
Hops enhance beer flavor as a condiment.

Due to its intense flavor and aroma, typically very little is added. Two parameters that are taken into account when choosing the right hops are their bitterness and aroma. Hops appeared in beer recipes only in the 9th century. Earlier beer enthusiasts had to make do with the taste of a less sophisticated, poorer version.

9
Yeast is responsible for carrying out alcoholic fermentation.

As a result of the yeast’s work, sugars contained in water are converted into ethyl alcohol. In addition, the fermentation process produces carbon dioxide and other by-products that affect the aroma and taste of the resulting liquor.

10
Water accounts for 90 to 95 percent of the beer.

Its use in the brewing industry is enormous; depending on the variety of beer, 3 to 7 liters of water are used to make one liter of beer.

Most large breweries produce beer from independently sourced water (for example, spring water).

11
The world’s strongest beer is 67.5% alcohol by volume.

It is called Brewmeister–Snake Venom; it comes from Scotland and its producer recommends drinking the beverage in 35ml glasses. Other very strong beer varieties include BrewDog 578, Brewmeister–Armageddon, Brouwerij‘t Koelschip–Start the Future, and Obilix.

12
Bavaria’s Weihenstephan Abbey is believed to be the oldest continuously operating brewery.

The abbey itself has been in existence since around 720, and from the very beginning, the monks living there toiled to brew beer for their own consumption. Production on a wider scale was taken up in 1040 when the abbey received official permission from the Freising city council.

13
In terms of the amount of beer drunk per capita, the world leaders are the Czechs (142.4 liters per year).

The second place goes to Seychelles (114.6 liters per year) and the third place goes to Germany and Austria (104.7 liters per year).

14
Beer has its own holiday, which is celebrated on the first Friday of August.

International Beer and Brewers Day was established by Canadians in 2007.

15
According to the Brewers Association, there are 79 beer styles in the world.

These styles are grouped into 15 families and fall into one of two categories: Ale (top-fermented beer) and Lager (bottom-fermented beer).

16
The most popular top-fermented beers include Ale, Porter, Stout, Belgian Ale, Kölsch, or Alt.
17
The most popular bottom-fermented beers include Pilsner, Lager, Dark lager, Helles, Bock, Märzen, Baltic Porter, Black Malt, or Patent Malt.
18
In addition to the two main types of beer, there can also be mixed drinks made from two types of beer.

These are known as beer cocktails.

19
Storage of draught beer should be at 3 - 4 °C to preserve the level of carbonation created during fermentation.
20
The serving temperature of beer affects its taste.

Generally speaking, beer served at a warmer temperature will have more perceptible aromas and flavors than the same beer served at several °C less.

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