When Was Beer Invented? Or, 31 Useless Beer Facts with Which to Amaze and Confuse Your Friends
Hunted and Gathered by Kayt

1. Just before the hangover. Okay, actually beer likely dates back to the dawn of cereal agriculture, loosely pinpointed at 10,000 B.C.E. in ancient Mesopotamia, the region of southwest Asia currently occupied by Iraq.

2. Beer was first reckoned to have occurred when some early farmer sampled water in which bread had been sitting (and fermenting) for a day or two. The first brews would have been concoctions of crushed or malted grain steeped and heated slowly in water, and then baked and submerged again. The oldest recorded evidence of brewing is in the epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2500 B.C.E. or 3500 B.C.E by differing accounts), related by the Sumerians on clay tablets. By 2000 B.C.E. the Sumerians had concocted recipes for eight different beers made from barley and eight from wheat. These syrupy, nutritious beers ranged from "strong" to "red brown" to "good dark"—and they soon caught on elsewhere. (In search of ancient “born on” dates…)

3. The ancient Egyptians loved beer and preferred it to water because their water was often contaminated. The Egyptians in turn spread beer to the Greeks, who, as you might have guessed, preferred wine as their Dionysian drink.

4. In their efforts to regulate beer quality, the ancient Babylonians, who were among history's earliest brewers, decreed that any commercial beermaker who sold unfit beer would be drowned in his/her own libation. (Could this be the origin of the time-honored tradition of letting the punishment fit the crime?)

5. In ancient Babylon, women brewers also assumed the role of temple priestesses. The goddess Siris was the patron of beer. (In her spare time she enjoys visiting Rusty’s Surf Ranch on the Santa Monica Pier when Red Elvises play there!)

6. After consuming a bucket or two of vibrant brew they called aul, or ale, the Vikings would head fearlessly into battle, often without armor or even shirts. In fact, "berserk" means "bare shirt" in Norse, and eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles. (Who needs shirts when you have beer? That theory’s been proven at countless frat parties and Red Elvises concerts…)

7. More on drinking habits in Babylon:
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the "honey month", or what we know today as the "honeymoon."

8. According to a journal entry from 1636, farm workers in the colony of Quebec not only received an allowance of flour, lard, oil, vinegar, and codfish; they were also given "a chopine of cider a day or a quart of beer." (What’s a chopine? Something less exciting than a quart of beer?)

9. According to a diary entry from a passenger on the Mayflower, the pilgrims made their landing at Plymouth Rock, rather than continue to their destination in Virginia, due to lack of beer. (And who says American history is boring?!)

10. George Washington had his own brewhouse on the grounds of Mount Vernon. (Way to go, George! They don’t call him “the father of our country” for nothing!)

11. In 1788, Ale was proclaimed "the proper drink for Americans" at a parade in New York City. (Forget milk or Coca Cola, to be proper it’s got to be beer!)

12. On October 17, 1814, a rupture in a brewery tank containing 3,500 barrels of beer caused a flood of fatal proportions in the London parish of St. Giles. The wave of beer swept victims off their feet, dashed them against walls, and buried them under debris. Two houses were demolished in the sea of beer suddenly loosed upon town, and nine people lost their lives in the flood of suds. (Wow, what a way to go!)

13. The familiar Bass symbol, a red triangle, was registered in 1876 and is the world's oldest trademark.

14. Budweiser - Brewed and sold since 1876, "The King of Beers" is the largest-selling beer in the world. Budweiser has been the world's best-selling beer since 1957, and is distributed in more than 70 countries. One in almost every five beers sold in the United States today is a Budweiser.

15. Studying the experimentally induced intoxicated behavior of ants in 1888, naturalist John Lubbock noticed that the insects that had too much to drink were picked up by nest mates and carried home. Conversely, drunken strangers were summarily tossed in a ditch. (I want that job – studying drunken ants!)

16. Bottle caps, or "crowns," were invented in Baltimore in 1892 by William Painter. Painter proved his invention's worth when he convinced a local brewer to ship a few hundred cases of beer to South America and back and they returned without a leak.

17. Despite the month implied by its name, Munich's annual 16-day Oktoberfest actually begins in mid-September and ends on the first Sunday in October.

18. Beck's in not only Germany's top export beer, it also accounts for 85% of all German beer exports to the United States.

19. Pennsylvania has had more breweries in its history than any other state. In 1910 alone, 119 of the state's towns had at least one licensed beermaker. (Coincidence that Musikfest is held in Pennsylvania??)

20. The first beer cans were produced in 1935. (Quickly followed, we can presume, by the practice of crushing beer cans against one’s head at parties.)

21. Beer advertising matchbook covers have become sought-after collectibles on Internet auction sites. A 1916 matchbook promoting Brehm's Brewery in Baltimore brought $43, while a 1930s cover promoting Eastside Beer from Los Angeles went for $36.

22. Beer and video games have a long association. Tapper, originally a 1983 arcade game and now a computer one, tests players' skills by challenging them to coordinate the movements of beers, a bartender, empty mugs, and patrons.

23. An 18-year study by the National Institute on Aging found that 50-plus men who consumed a drink a day during middle age scored significantly better on cognitive tests later in life than did non-drinkers. (Hey, you young guys, better start drinking now!)

24. Gilroy, home of the Coast Range Brewing Company since 1995, is the self-proclaimed "Garlic Capital of the World." (We know this from the many times Red Elvises have played the Gilroy Garlic Festival.)

25. There are 19 different versions of Guinness. (There are also plenty of different versions of Budweiser and just about any other leading beer on the market!)

26. In the US, a barrel contains 31 gallons of beer. (Roll out the barrel, and we’ll have a barrel of fun!)

27. Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the mix to find the right temperature for adding yeast. Too cold, and the yeast wouldn't grow. Too hot, and the yeast would die. One theory on the origin of the phrase “rule of thumb” has it that this thumb in the beer thing is where it comes from.

28. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's." (Legend has it, anyway.)

29. The Budweiser Clydesdales weight up to 2,300 pounds and stand nearly 6 feet at the shoulder. (Gooood horsey!)

30. 12 oz of a typical American pale lager actually has fewer calories than 2 percent milk or apple juice. (So if you’re thinking of going on a diet… hmm)

31. A beer is NOT just a beer. All told, there are 27 different styles of beer, with a further breakdown of 49 substyles. (And for extra credit, how many can you name?)