Think you know beer? Think again! Next time you’re sharing a beer or two with your mates, impress and amaze them by dropping a few of these random fact bombs into the conversation.
- In Anglo-Saxon, medieval Britain, most beer was made by women, known as brewsters. The best in the village often turned their homes into an early version of a pub. Maybe that’s a trend to bring back.
- How much do Kiwis love beer? According to a the Brewers Association of NZ, there are more than 200 breweries in New Zealand – two thirds of which are in the North Island.
- The moon has a crater named Beer. While we’d love to believe it’s an astronomical tribute to a good brew, it is in fact named after early 19th Century German astronomer Wilhelm Beer. Who do we talk to about having a crater named Export?
- Oktoberfest started as a festival to celebrate the 1810 marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen. That really is the gift that keeps on giving.
- Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty glass. Something we can probably all relate to now and then.
- While most beer companies use vertical tank fermenters, Heineken opts for horizontal tanks to create the perfect conditions for its unique A-yeast. It’s what gives the famous beer its rich, balanced taste.
- Beer helped English smarty pants Joseph Priestley discover oxygen in 1774, when he noticed gases rising from big vats of beer. It sparked a lifetime investigation into the chemistry of gases.
- The first record of beer being brewed in NZ is in 1770 when Captain Cook brewed a batch using rimu branches and leaves to try to ward off scurvy in his crew.
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