20 Interesting Facts About Beer

Beer is one of the most popular beverages in the world, and it has been for eons. But do you know all there is to know about the drink? Read on for some interesting facts about your favorite beverage: beer!

1. The Slavic word ‘beer’ came from the verb ‘to drink’. Initially, beer was any kind of drink.
2. The earliest evidence of brewing beer dates back to about 3500-2900 B.C. Ancient evidence, in the form of chemical residues, was found in ancient Iran. 
3. The strongest beer in the world has a strength of 67.5%. It was created in 2017 by the Scottish brewery Brewmeister. The beer is called Snake Venom.
4. The earliest written mention of beer is found in the 5th century BC in the writings of the ancient Greek writer Xenophon.
5. An important contribution to the development of brewing was made by the Danish botanist Emil Christian Hansen. In 1881 he was the first person to obtain a pure culture of beer yeast, which greatly improved the quality of the product. Beer yeast developed from Hansen's technology is still being produced today.
6. In ancient China, beer was brewed from sprouted rice, as well as from rice with added fruit.
7. Non-alcoholic beer is made either by eliminating fermentation or by removing the alcohol from the finished beer. Compared to the making of conventional beer, the technology of making non-alcoholic beer is a more complicated procedure. 
8. China, the United States, Germany, Russia and Brazil are among the top five beer-producing countries.
9. The largest museum dedicated to beermaking is in Altenburg, Germany.
10. The largest beer producer in the world is the Belgian corporation Anheuser-Busch InBev. This company owns about 400 beer brands in 50 countries (Budweiser, Corona, Stella Artois, Beck's, Hoegaarden and Leffe, among others).
11. As of 2017, the leaders in beer consumption were the Czech Republic (≈137 liters per capita per year), Poland (≈98 liters), and Germany (≈96 liters). Austria and Lithuania are also in the top five.
12. Craft beer is beer produced by small private breweries. The share of craft breweries in the Russian market is 0.82%. Multinational companies (72.5%) and large breweries (26.68%) account for the rest of the market.
13. As of 2018, the leading beer brand worldwide is Budweiser. The value of this brand is more than 15 billion dollars. In second place is Heineken, in third place is Bud Light. The top five also include Stella Artois and Corona.
14. The most common type of beer is lager. Its share in the world consumption reaches up to 80%.
15. The per capita beer consumption in Russia is ≈58 liters per year.
16. The Guinness Book of World Records was conceived by Hugh Beaver, Executive Director of the Guinness Brewing Company. He came up with the idea of creating an authoritative source for pub-goers to settle their disputes about the record of a particular phenomenon.
17. As of 2017, the number of breweries, cider houses, and meaderies in Russia was 1,147.
18. The popular beer snack of chips, is believed to have been invented by accident. A chef named George Crum, in response to the tycoon's criticism that his potatoes were "too thick" sliced paper-thin potatoes and fried them. But the dish tasted good to the tycoon and his friends. After a while, the chips became the most popular dish of the restaurant where George Crum worked.
19. The oldest brewery in the world today is the Weihenstephan brewery in Freising, Germany. It was founded in 1040.
20. International Beer Day is celebrated on the first Friday of August. The first Beer Day was held in 2007 in the U.S. By 2012, the holiday was celebrated in 50 countries in more than 200 cities around the world.

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