15 Facts to Celebrate International Beer Day

International Beer Day, which takes place on Friday 5 August, is almost upon us! And what better way to see in the weekend than with a nice, chilled pint?

Jesse Avshalomov and his team founded the festival in 2007. Although its roots are based in California, it’s now an event that is celebrated all around the glove – with the world’s largest beer festival ‘Oktoberfest’ lasting an impressive 16 days.

Over 50 countries, 207 cities and six continents now celebrate 5 August each and every year in order to express gratitude to both brewers (and bartenders) around the globe. From ale connoisseurs to brewery enthusiasts, this is one occurrence that is enjoyed by many.

With this in mind, we’ve listed 15 facts about this timeless beverage…

1. 1. 1. The famous beer brand ‘Guinness’ once predicted around 93,000 liters of beer gets mislaid in the beards of Englishmen every year.
      2. The art of brewing a cold one is said to date back an astounding 5,000 years.
      3. Brewing has a technical name – Zythology – which is derived from the Greek words ‘zythos’ (which translates to beer) and ‘logos’ (study).
      4. You should always (especially if you’re brewing your own beer) keep it out of direct sunlight as this can make it go bad, or if you’re you’re into your beer lingo, ‘skunked’.
      5. In Texas, they are renowned for serving fried beer at their State Fair.
      6. It wasn’t until 1959 that beer became available in a can. This is now one of the most popular ways to drink and transport this timeless beverage.
      7. There is a word for those who suffer from the fear of an empty glass – this word is cenosillicaphobia.
      8. Snake Venom, as it’s aptly called, is said to be the strongest beer in the world to date – measuring an impressive 67.5 percent on the alcohol Richter scale. This Scottish creation should only be tried by those who are seasoned beer drinkers.
      9. The biggest beer fans in the world are the Czech’s – in fact, they are said to drink the most beer out of any nation. They’re closely followed by Germany and Austria.
      10. It’s not only humans that have a tendency for beer. In 2014, a black bear polished off 36 cans shortly before passing out.
      11. Both China and the United States of America are the top two beer producing countries in the world. A great deal of our own beer is imported from these nations.
      12. Amsterdam is one of the only city’s to pay workers in beer. A government-funded organization has come up with a plan to get people off the streets by getting them to clean the streets. For their hard work, they each receive five beers, half a packet of tobacco and 10 Euros.
      13. The world’s most pricey beer, Vielle Bon Secours, costs around £700 a pint. If you’d like to sample this delightful beverage, you’ll need to head to Belgium to enjoy it at its best.
      14. Scientists say beer prevents kidney stones. In fact, consuming a bottle a day is said to reduce the risk of inheriting this ailment by up to 40%. If there was ever an excuse to have a cold one, this is it!
      15. The Ancient Babylonians took beer brewery very seriously. Anyone found to have brewed a bad batch was drowned in their very own creation as punishment

So there we have it – 15 interesting facts in celebration of the upcoming International Beer Day. If you have any more to add to the collection, we’d love to hear them too.