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Beer talk
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." Benjamin Franklin
Beer trivia
A few fun tidbits to share over a brew. Did you know…?
- Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get service, resulting in today’s phrase, “Wet your whistle.”
- It was the accepted practice in Babylonia 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,” which eventually came to be known as the honeymoon.
- Before thermometers were invented, brewers would dip a thumb 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. This became known as “rule of thumb.”
- Beer was the reason the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It's clear from the Mayflower's log that the crew didn't want to waste beer looking for a better site. The log goes on to state that the passengers "were hasted ashore and made to drink water that the seamen might have the more beer."
- 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."
A beer a day
Results published in the Journal of Internal Medicine indicate that male coronary artery disease (CAD) patients who consumed moderate amounts of beer had favorable blood biochemical changes that are considered indicators of CAD prevention.
