Beer is one of the oldest
alcoholic drinks in the world, the most widely consumed, and the third most popular drink after
water and
tea. Beer is produced by the
brewing and
fermentation of
starches from
cereal grains—most commonly
maltedbarley, although
wheat,
maize (corn),
rice, and
oats are also used. The fermentation of the starch
sugars in the
wort produces
ethanol and
carbonation in the beer. Most modern beer is brewed with
hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural
preservative and
stabilising agent. Other flavouring agents, such as
gruit, herbs, or fruits, may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, natural carbonation is often replaced with forced carbonation.
Some of the earliest writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the
Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating it, and "The Hymn to
Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, a recipe for it.
Beer is distributed in bottles and cans and is also commonly available on
draught, particularly in pubs and bars. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant
multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from
brewpubs to
regional breweries. The strength of modern beer is usually around 4% to 6%
alcohol by volume (ABV).
Beer in Scotland is mostly produced by breweries in the central
Lowlands, which also contain the main centres of population.
Edinburgh and
Alloa in particular became noted for the export of
beer around the world in the 19th century. (Full article...)
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Liefman's oud bruin
Oud Bruin (Old Brown), also known as Flanders Brown, is a style of
beer originating from the
Flemish region of
Belgium. The Dutch name refers to the long aging process, up to a year. It undergoes a secondary
fermentation, which takes several weeks to a month, and is followed by bottle aging for several more months. The extended aging allows residual
yeast and
bacteria to develop a
sour flavor characteristic for this style. Usually, cultured yeast and bacteria are used, as stainless steel equipment does not harbor wild organisms as wood does. (Full article...)
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Filtered beer refers to any
ale,
lager, or
fermented malt beverage in which the sediment left over from the brewing process has been removed. Ancient techniques included the use of straw mats, cloth, or straws, and frequently left some sediment in the drink. Modern filtration, introduced at the end of the 19th century, uses a mechanical process that can remove all sediment, including yeast, from the
beer. Such beer is known as
bright beer and requires
force carbonation before bottling or serving from a keg. In the
United Kingdom, a beer which has been filtered in the brewery is known as "brewery-conditioned", as opposed to unfiltered
cask ales. (Full article...)
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The Beer Party (
German: die Bierpartei, BIER) is an
Austriansatirical political party. Founded in 2014, it was originally known as the Beer Party of Austria (Bierpartei Österreich) and used the corresponding abbreviation BPÖ until its renaming in 2020. The party's activity is confined to
Vienna, where BIER first appeared on ballots in the
2019 Austrian legislative election and appeared again in the
2020 Viennese state election. As of 2020, it has been unable to amass the votes required for representation in the
National Council,
Federal Council, or the Landtage, claiming 0.6% of Viennese votes in 2019 and 1.8% in 2020. However, the party was able to win mandates in 11 of Vienna's districts. The party is organized purely at the federal level without state parties. (Full article...)
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Beer head (also head or collar) is the frothy
foam on top of
beer and
carbonated beverages which is produced by bubbles of gas, predominantly
carbon dioxide, rising to the surface. The elements that produce the head are
wort protein, yeast and hop residue. The carbon dioxide that forms the bubbles in the head is produced during
fermentation as yeasts break down sugar-rich molecules to produce ethanol and carbon dioxide. The carbonation can occur before or after bottling the beer. If the beer continues fermenting in the bottle, then it naturally carbonates and the head is formed upon opening and/or pouring the beer. If the beer is pasteurized or filtered then the beer must be force carbonated using pressurized gas.
The density and longevity of the head will be determined by the type of malt and
adjunct from which the beer was
fermented. Different mash schedules and cereal sources influence head retention. In general, wheat tends to produce larger and longer-lasting heads than barley. (Full article...)
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In
trick-taking card games such as
bridge, the beer card is a name informally given to the seven of diamonds (7♦). Players may agree that if a player wins the last trick of a hand with the 7♦, their partner must buy them a
beer. This is not considered as part of the rules of these games, but is an optional and informal side-bet between players. This practice likely originates from
Danish Tarok or
Skat in the middle of the 20th century. In most decks, the 7♦ is the only diamond number card that lacks
rotational symmetry. (Full article...)
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Beer Nuts is an American
brand of
snack food building on the original product,
peanuts with a sweet-and-salty
glazing. According to the manufacturer, the ingredients include peanuts,
coconut oil,
corn syrup and
salt. In the United States, Beer Nuts are a staple of bar snacks and are often referred to as "the quintessential American bar food".
Although Beer Nuts do not contain any
beer, the name suggests that they are intended as a side dish to beer consumption. (Full article...)
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Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured
beer style brewed with
pale malt. The term first appeared in England around 1703 for beers made from
malts dried with high-carbon
coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at that time. Different brewing practices and
hop quantities have resulted in a range of tastes and strengths within the pale ale family. (Full article...)
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Old ale is a form of
strong ale. The term is commonly applied to dark, malty beers in England, generally above 5%
ABV, and also to dark ales of any strength in Australia. It is sometimes associated with stock ale or, archaically, keeping ale, in which the beer is held at the brewery. In modern times, the line has blurred between Old Ale and
Barley wine. (Full article...)
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Mild ale is a type of
ale. Modern milds are mostly dark-coloured, with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 3% to 3.6%, although there are lighter-hued as well as stronger milds, reaching 6% abv and higher. Mild originated in Britain in the 17th century or earlier, and originally meant a young ale, as opposed to a "stale" aged or
old ale.
Mild experienced a sharp decline in popularity in the 1960s, and was in danger of completely disappearing, but the increase of microbreweries has led to a modest renaissance and an increasing number of milds (sometimes labelled "dark") being brewed. (Full article...)
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The
health effects of long-term alcohol consumption on health vary depending on the amount of
ethanol consumed. Even light drinking poses health risks, but small amounts of alcohol may also have health benefits. Chronic heavy drinking (
alcohol use disorder) causes severe health consequences which outweigh any potential benefits.
Beer can chicken (also known as chicken on a throne, beer butt chicken, coq au can, dancing chicken) is a
barbecued chicken dish and method of
indirect grilling using a partially-filled can of beer that is placed in the chicken's cavity prior to cooking. The chicken is then stood up on the can and its legs vertically, and slow-cooked over indirect heat, usually over a propane gas or charcoal grill. The process is meant to add moisture to the dish, and some believe that steam from the beer serves to
steam the chicken from the inside and add flavor to the dish. Some people are avid proponents of the dish, while others have contended that the efficacy of using the beer is overrated, and that the science regarding beer can chicken is debatable. It has been suggested that the dish possibly originated in the U.S. state of Louisiana. (Full article...)
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Beer is one of the oldest human-produced drinks. The first chemically confirmed barley-
beer – from the area of Mesopotamia, part of modern-day Iraq – dates back to the 5th millennium BCE. The
written history of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia records the use of beer, and the drink has spread throughout the world; a 3,900-year-old Sumerian poem honouring
Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing, contains the oldest surviving beer-recipe, describing the production of beer from barley bread, and in China, residue on pottery dating from around 5,000 years ago shows that beer was brewed using barley and other grains.
Craft beer is a
beer that has been made by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer, than larger "macro" breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, new flavours, and varied brewing techniques.
The microbrewery movement began in both the United States and United Kingdom in the 1970s, although traditional artisanal brewing existed in Europe for centuries and subsequently spread to other countries. As the movement grew, and some breweries expanded their production and distribution, the more encompassing concept of
craft brewing emerged. A
brewpub is a
pub that brews its own beer for sale on the premises. (Full article...)
Old Speckled Hen is a
bitter beer made by the
Morland Brewery, now owned by
Greene King Brewery. Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in 1979 in
Abingdon-on-Thames,
Oxfordshire in England, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the
MG car factory there on 30 November 1979. Since 2000, when Greene King bought Morland and closed down the Abingdon brewery, it has been made in Greene King's
Bury St Edmunds brewery. It is available in more than twenty different countries in bottles, cans and on tap from cask and keg. The brand has been expanded to include Old Crafty Hen, a 6.5% ABV ale, Hens Tooth, a 6.5% ABV ale, Old Golden Hen, a golden coloured 4.1% beer, and Old Hoppy Hen, a 4.2% ABV
pale ale. (Full article...)
Terence Michael McCashin (18 January 1944 – 31 October 2017) was a New Zealand businessman who, together with his wife, founded the country's first craft brewery,
McCashin's Brewery, in 1981 in
Nelson.
He also represented the country in rugby union, playing seven matches for the
All Blacks. (Full article...)
... that at the 1965 World Pentathlon Championships, Herbert Polzhuber was said to have drunk ten beers and a bottle of
cognac before firing his pistol at the ground and passing out?
The following are images from various beer- and brewing-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in the US, established in 1829. It is also the largest craft brewer, and the 6th largest brewing company overall. (from Craft beer)
Image 2Brew kettles at Brasserie La Choulette in France (from Brewing)
Image 3Spent grain, a brewing by-product (from Brewing)
Image 4Casks of
real ale from British microbreweries at a beer festival (from Craft beer)
Image 19Traditional fermenting building (center) and modern fermenting building (left) in
Pilsner Urquell Brewery (Czech Republic) (from History of beer)
Image 20Yeast ring used by Swedish homebrewers in the 19th century to preserve the yeast between brewing sessions. (from History of beer)
Image 21A selection of French craft beers (from Craft beer)
Image 23A can of Juicy Ass IPA from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery in
Barrie,
Ontario, Canada (from Craft beer)
Image 24The Alulu beer receipt records a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer,
c. 2050 BC from the
Sumerian city of
Umma in
Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq). (from Brewing)
Image 43Alulu beer receipt recording a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer,
c. 2050 BCE, from the
Sumerian city of
Umma in
ancient Iraq. (from History of beer)