Anyone of legal drinking age has no doubt downed a beer (or six). But how much do you really know about this alcoholic beverage? Probably not as much as you think.

Its history dates back nearly 4,000 years! In ancient Iraq, early evidence appears in an old Sumerian poem honouring Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing. In it contains the oldest surviving beer recipe, describing its production from barley. The history of this alcoholic beverage can be found all over the globe; even the church was involved in brewing. In fact, it happens to be a favoured drink in Canada. In 2016, a total of 3.2 billion cans, 2.1 billion bottles and 41.1 million kegs were sold.

So, to give us some interesting facts about one of Canadians favourite drinks, check out the following infographic from delivery service app Deliverr.

Interesting facts about beer

History

• Beer was the national currency in the land of the ancient Pharaohs of Egypt.
• In Germany, there’s a brewery that has been in continuous operation since the year 1040 CE.
• In 13th century Norway, some people would baptize their children in ale.
• When scientist Neil Bohr won the Nobel Prize in 1922, the Carlsberg brewery gave him a perpetual supply of beer pumped into his house.
• In 1963, Albert Heineken created a a bottle that could be used as a brick to build sustainable housing in impoverished countries.
• Norway’s first aircraft hijacking was resolved after the hijacker surrendered his weapon for more beer.
• The drink was illegal in Iceland until March 1st, 1989. Now the day is celebrated every year in Reykjavik as Bjordagur (Beer Day).
• Beer wasn’t considered an alcoholic beverage in Russia until 2013.

Consumption:

• At any given time, 0.7% of the world’s population is drunk. That means that there are currently 50 million tipsy individuals right now.
• The world’s longest hangover lasted 4 weeks, after Scotsman consumed 60 pints of ale.
• Until the 1970s in Belgium, ale was served in school cafeterias.
• Apparently, slugs like beer.
• Surprisingly, more Guinness beer is drunk in Nigeria than in Ireland.
• Amsterdam pays alcoholics in beer to clean the streets: 5 cans per day’s work, along with €10 and tobacco.

Countries & Politics

• In Argentina, political parties have their own brands.
• US President Jimmy Carter signed a bill that created an exemption from taxation for home brews for personal/family consumption. That opened the door to today’s craft beer industry.
• In Austria, you can swim in pools of beer.
• In France, Germany, Austria, Spain, and the Netherlands it’s served at McDonald’s.
• The Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew in Thailand was constructed using 1 million bottles of Heineken and a local brew.

Beer Brands

• The strongest beer in the world contains a whopping 67.5% alcohol. It’s called Snake Venom, from the Brewmeister brewery.
• In Africa, there are beers brewed from bananas. Three of the commercial brands are called Mongozo Banana Beer, Raha, and Agashya.
• Fucking Hell is a brand named after the town of Fucking, Austria.
• Beer cans in Japan have brail on them so the blind don’t confuse them with soft drinks.

Other interesting facts

• Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty glass.
• As a rule of thumb, darker and bitter beers have a higher alcohol content.
• 162,719 pints of Guinness are lost each year due to peoples moustaches.
• Did you know that beers and vaginas have almost the same acidity levels? They have an average of 4.5pH.
• Joan Evans is the only person on Earth capable of balancing 237 pints atop his head.
• At the Wife Carrying World Championship in Finland, first prize is the wife’s weight in beer.

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Now that you’ve read up on some interesting facts, find out what the type you like says about you.

Sources: https://visual.ly/community/Infographics/history/interesting-facts-about-beer-infographics
https://industry.beercanada.com/statistics