Beer is one of the world’s favorite beverages. Just about anyone over the age of 21 has had at least one beer in their lifetime. It has long been one of the most purchased beverages in the world, but what do you really know about beer?
Next time you’re drinking with friends, show that you have a little book smarts to share. Check out a few interesting facts about the booze that is loved all around the globe.
Nitrogen is used in the booze-making process
One of the coolest usages of nitrogen is when it’s used to assist the brewing process. Nitrogen is pumped into tanks or kegs to clean them between brews, so there’s no leftover booze to contaminate the next batch.
Beer makers also use nitrogen to displace or remove oxygen from the brewing tanks, so the beer doesn’t spoil so fast. It makes one wonder how they figured out that nitrogen could be such an asset to the team.
Beer cans were first used in 1933
Before there was a Freddy Krueger to terrorize your dreams, there was a Krueger beer. A brewery in Newark, New Jersey made friends with a canning company, and canned beer was born.
In 1933, beer drinkers had the first chance to taste the very specific flavor of a canned beer, and they loved it. Sadly, the law said the brew had to remain at a low percentage, so it was only 3.2% ABV.
The ‘33’ on Rolling Rock bottles
If you’ve ever sat back drinking a Rolling Rock beer and wondered why the heck there’s a 33 on the label, you’re not the only one. People have been wondering about the meaning of the 33 for years to little avail.
As far as we know, it could just be a symbol of the company’s undying love for Larry Bird. Among the reasons thrown on the table over the years is that the founders of the company once bet $33 on racing horse #33 and won a sizable sum of money that was used to start the brewery.
A former CEO said that the #33 stood for the 33 words in the Rolling Rock pledge printed on every bottle. It’s also rumored that the #33 could represent the year (1933) prohibition ended.
Medical beer during prohibition
You may not have thought of this point, but it does make a lot of sense. During alcohol prohibition, physicians tried to get around the alcohol laws by prescribing medical beer.
You could get a prescription to drink beer during alcohol prohibition just like you can get a prescription to smoke weed in present times.
It worked for a while, but not long enough. The government shut it down after just eight months. Prohibition didn’t end for another 12 years. We all know what happened after that.
Beer is made of 90 percent water
Beer is a great thirst quencher, because it is made mostly of water. Water is such an important ingredient in beer, that the quality of water used makes a noticeable impact on the color and flavor profile of the booze.