The world of beer can be quite weird and wonderful at times and it's no wonder. With such a broad and ranging history, both in England and abroad, there's a rich archive of facts, figures and strange occurrences involving beer. Below, we'll take a look at a few of them...
CHILDREN DRANK BEER
Before proper water sanitation was discovered and introduced, water supplies in England were full of impurities. Riddled with bacteria, water was the carrier of many diseases that infected adults and children alike. Due to the boiling process involved in brewing, which boiled off and killed much of the bacteria, people drank beer instead of water as it was safer. Likewise, for children who were no longer breastfeeding, this was the safest source of water too.
Whilst the beer which was consumed was weak, it still had an effect on the children, causing them to be more unsteady on their feet. This is generally thought to be where the term 'toddler' comes from to describe young children!
PROFESSIONAL WOMEN BREWERS
Wrongly, beer has a stereotype as being a 'man’s drink' and that thankfully is changing over time. However, it may surprise some people that the first professional brewers, or brewsters, were female. During the middle ages, women brewed at home whilst men were working the fields or tending to livestock etc. It then fell to the brewsters to continue brewing and producing beer when it became commercialised.
More recently, during WW1 and WW2, women were once again at the forefront of production when male staff were sent to the frontlines. Women filled breweries and warehouses as well as other production facilities in the absence of male labour.
RULE OF THUMB
Brewing is a scientific process but before the advent of thermometers, brewers used to check the temperature of their wort in a much simpler way. It needed to be at the correct temperature before yeast was added, as not to prevent fermentation to take place. To do this, brewers would simply dip their thumbs in
the mix to check if it was ready yet. This became known as the 'rule of thumb' and knowing when, roughly, to add the yeast and it wouldn’t be adversely affected.
BEER IS HEALTHY
Yep, beer can be good for you. But, as with many other things, this is in moderation of course! It's not going to become the next 'five a day' or a superfood, but beer can have some positive effects on the body and our health. Drinking beer can reduce the likelihood of developing kidney stones, it can increase the strength of our bones, increase our cognitive function and decrease joint inflammation.
We didn't make these up either, several scientific studies have been conducted to confirm these results and a quick search on Google can lead to some interesting reading!