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No one really knows exactly how
the first beer came into being ...
Suffice it to say that, around 10,000 years ago, somebody let a primordial
barley and hop concoction stand long enough for it to ferment. The result
not only made anonymous history, it was the genesis of beer's own special
influence throughout the ages.
Here are a few examples of note:
It was the accepted practice in Babylonia, as early as 4000 years ago, that
for a month after a 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." I have also heard that the custom included
one of the most resourceful bits of propaganda ever created for husbands. As
the story went, if the groom drank mead for an entire moon, it would enhance
the chances of his wife bearing a male heir. The bride, however, had to
abstain from drinking alcohol at all. I'll leave the punch lines to you.
After consuming a bucket or two of vibrant brew they called ‘aul,’ or ‘ale,’
a certain self-appointed breed of Vikings would head fearlessly into battle
without armor, or even without shirts. In fact, the term "berserk" means
"bare shirt" in Norse, and eventually took on the meaning of their wild
behavior in battle. They believed that Odin’s favor was all they needed for
protection, and if they were to die in combat, it was only because The
Allfather decided it was their time to enter the hallowed halls of Valhalla.
This was Odin's great ‘Castle of the Chosen Slain,’ where 'inductees' would
spend eternity in Viking nirvana, ie- fighting all day, having their wounds
miraculously heal at sundown, and then partying all night, with generous
quantities of ale at their beck and call.
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 practice is
where we get the phrase, "rule of thumb."
The first known consumer protection act arose with the German Beer Purity
Law of 1516, known as Rheinheitsgebot. This decreed that, in order to be
called 'beer,' a beverage could only consist of four ingredients: malt,
hops, yeast and water. This is such a revered regulation that when the
European Union facilitated the introduction of other beers into the German
market, it took a court order for many stores to sell them. Most of those
beers contained preservatives, and to a respectable German, that meant ---
and still does --- that such beverages were not beer.
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So, in olde 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."
Also in England's olden days, pub frequenters often 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.
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 that has been expanded to
include the effects of too much beer and is still in use today.
There are numerous quotations which pay homage to beer. Allow me to list
three of the wittiest:
"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink, I feel ashamed.
Then, I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and
all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be
out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, 'It
is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be
selfish and worry about my liver.'"
-- Saturday Night Live's faux-philosopher, Jack Handy
"Put it back in the horse!"
-- W C Fields, disapproving of a sub-standard brew
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
-- Benjamin Franklin
Given a good pint, composed of God's natural ingredients and nurtured by
man's learned craft, beer has made us very happy, indeed.
Just keep the joy below 0.08% of your blood content.
About the Author:
J Square Humboldt is the featured columnist at Longer Life's website, which
provides information designed to improve the quality of living. He's at
http://longerlifegroup.com/cyberiter.html
Read more articles by:
J Square Humboldt
Article Source:
www.iSnare.com
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