June 15: Beer Day

June 15 is Beer Day in the UK. In the US it is celebrated on April 7, celebrating the repeal of prohibition.

1. Beer is the third most popular drink in the world, after Water and Tea. In the US, the average person drinks 23 gallons of the stuff a year but the prize for beer drunk per person per year goes to the Czech Republic where the average person drinks 40 gallons a year.
2. Beer has been around a long time, possibly dating back to the early Neolithic period or 9500 BC. Beer was one of the first things human beings wrote about. The Code of Hammurabi, a Babylonian code of law of ancient Mesopotamia included laws about the production and serving of beer. Making or serving bad beer was a serious offence back then, resulting in execution. The brewer would be drowned in his own beer. They also had "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, which served not only as a prayer but as a means of remembering the recipe.
3. In ancient Egypt, the pyramid builders were provided with around four litres of beer a day. In those times, and indeed in medieval England, beer would have been more widely drunk than water, because the water was often polluted. Therefore beer was much safer to drink.
4. Beer is still provided to workers in some parts of the world, even today. In Amsterdam, alcoholics are encouraged to clean the streets as they are offered five cans of beer for a day's work, along with a little Money and some tobacco.
5. Some beer words. Beer and ale are used interchangeably to refer to the stuff although in 12th century Iceland the distinction was "Ale it is called among men, but among the gods, beer." The word ale comes from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "sorcery, magic, possession, intoxication", while beer started out as a Proto-Indo-European word which could have meant "brewer's yeast", "barley", or "to drink". The process of making beer is known as brewing, and the building in which it takes place is a brewery. The study of beer and beer-making is zythology, from the Greek words “zythos” (beer) and “logos” (study). A beer expert is a cerevisaphile from the Roman goddess of agriculture, Ceres, and vis, meaning strength. Finally, cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass.
6. Beer is brewed from cereal grains such as malted barley, Wheat, Maize (corn), or Rice, and flavoured with hops. The only commercial use for hops is in the production of beer. Hops belong to the same plant family as marijuana.
7. The bubbles in a glass of beer move up in the centre where there is no friction from the sides of the glass. They get pushed to the outside as more bubbles rise and from there, they go back down. The bubbles, or the foamy head can be used to ascertain the quality of the beer. If the foam clings to the side when the glass is tilted, it is a sign of a good beer, and a clean glass. The phenomenon is referred to as “Brussels lace.”
8. Most beer served in pubs isn't that strong - around 4% abv in the UK, but it can be made stronger. The strongest beer in the world is Brewmeister´s "Snake Venom", which has a 67.5% alcohol content and comes with a warning label.
9. There are about 400 types of beer in the world. The country which produces the most brands is Belgium.
10. Rumour has it that 93,000 litres of beer are lost in men's facial hair every year - so if you want to get the most out of your pint, lose the Beard!