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The Beer Facts
10-III-08
'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" - or what we know
today as the "honeymoon".
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. This thumb in the
beer is where we get the phrase "rule of thumb".
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".
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".
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, the term "berserk" means "bare shirt" in Norse, and
eventually took on the meaning of their wild battles.
In 1740 Admiral Vernon of the British fleet decided to water down the navy's
rum. Needless to say, the sailors weren't too pleased and called Admiral
Vernon, Old Grog, after the stiff wool grogram coats he wore. The term
"grog" soon began to mean the watered down drink itself. When you were drunk
on this grog, you were "groggy", a word still in use today.
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 some service. "Wet your whistle", is the phrase inspired by
this practice. |
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