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8 Surprising Beer Facts to Make You Sound Like an Expert

Perhaps you’re looking to impress co-workers, drinking buddies, or even a date. Build your beer knowledge with this list of surprising facts compiled by the beer expert guides at The New York Beer and Brewery Tour, and impress away!

  1. Found at German beer halls, the boot-shaped glasses hearken back to the practice of German soldiers drinking beer from an actual boot in the trenches of World War I. The alcohol sanitized the boot, we hope.
  2. Beer is the third-most popular drink on Earth, after water and tea. The least popular drink, we think, is Zima.
  3. Vikings believed there was a giant goat in Heaven named Heidrun whose udders provided an unlimited supply of beer, which sounds udderly disgusting.
  4. Ancient Babylonians were so serious about brewing beer that if anyone brewed a bad batch, they would drown him in it as a punishment. By these standards, today the people who make Coors Light would surely be dead.
  5. At the Wife Carrying World Championships in Finland (which is exactly what it sounds like) first prize is the wife’s weight in beer. At the end of the event, typically the winner is so drunk his wife has to carry him home.
  6. The world’s strongest beer has a 67.5% alcohol content. It’s called Snake Venom (sounds delicious), and is brewed in Scotland. It’s a whopping $80 per bottle, not including the hospital bill.
  7. In 1985 Norway’s first aircraft hijacking was resolved after the hijacker surrendered his weapon in exchange for more beer, which is completely understandable.
  8. The Ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids received about four liters of beer per shift, which is impressive, considering we drank four liters and failed to put together a desk from IKEA.

So there you have it.  Did you learn anything new? If you like history and beer, we have so many more tidbits to share on The New York Beer and Brewery Tour. Any interesting beer facts you think we missed? Let us know in the comments. Cheers!

By Seth Zakula

 

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