If you are a beer drinker, you probably know an anecdote or two about drinking and brewing beer. As one of the world’s oldest beverages, however, there is a wealth of information about beers and breweries – and some of it is downright fascinating. The team at Cheers All put together the following 20 fun facts about beer so you will have something interesting to talk about the next time you’re enjoying a glass of beer with friends.
Popular
- Beer is by far the most popular alcoholic drink in the world. In 2016, people consumed nearly 50 billion gallons of beer worldwide
- The top five states for beer consumption per capita are (in order from #1 to #5):
- New Hampshire
- Montana
- Vermont
- North Dakota
- South Dakota.
I’m pretty disappointed that despite all my hard work Maine is still not on the list!
- In 2017, the average U.S. citizen over 21 consumed 26.9 gallons of beer. Amazingly though, the United States does not even make the top 10 in terms of overall beer drinking.
- The Czech Republic consumes the most beer per capita of any country in the world, and China consumes the most overall.
- McDonald's offers beer on its menu in many countries, including France, Germany, Portugal, and South Korea.
Profitable
- The beer industry in the United States turns annual profits of over 100 billion dollars.
- In 1983, there were 49 licensed breweries in the United States. In just over 30 years, by the end of 2017, that number had grown to an astounding 8,863 breweries. I’ve got a lot of sampling to catch up on!
Ancients
- The first beer brewers were all women. In ancient Peru, breweries were operated by ‘women of the elite’. These ladies had to be of noble birth, or extremely beautiful to be allowed to brew the beer.
- The Code of Hammurabi decreed that bartenders who watered down beer would be executed.
- In Medieval Europe, Catholic monks would often undergo "beer fasts" during the forty days of Lent. They ate no food, getting calories only from beer, which they called "liquid bread."
- In ancient Mesopotamia, beer was associated with religion and ritual and was believed to have magical powers. The Mesopotamian gods were said to have their own special brewers.
Famous
- Thomas Jefferson wrote parts of the Declaration of Independence in a Philadelphia tavern.
- J.K. Rowling invented Quidditch in a pub.
- The moon has a crater named Beer
Strongest, Biggest, Oldest
- The strongest beer in the world is "Snake Venom," brewed by Scottish brewery Brewmeister. It is 67.5% alcohol by volume (abv). For comparison, most vodka is 40% abv, with beers typically between 3% and 10% abv. Snake Venom will cost you $76 to $140 per bottle.
- The largest recorded glass of beer contained just under 330 gallons of Guinness, at the Auld Dubliner Irish Pub is Tustin, California.
- The oldest continuously operating brewery in the world is located at Weihenstephan Abbey in Bavaria, Germany. The Benedictine monks at Weihenstephan began brewing beer in 1040 AD.
Academic
- Zythology if the study of beer. From the Greek words zythos (beer) and logos (study), Zythology is more than just chugging pints of lager, it is the analyzing of ingredients and the effect they have on the brewing process, the knowledge of beer styles and history, and the application of beer pairings.
Interesting
- At the Wife Carrying World Championships, first prize is the wife's weight in beer.
- You can go swimming in a pool of beer at the Schloss Starkenberger brewery in Tarrentz, Austria. The sudsy bath is said to promote healthy skin
Contact Us
If you are a craft beer drinker, visit the Cheers All website to purchase glassware and other merchandise geared toward beer lovers.