Sumerians Drank Beer From Cellars Through a Straw
Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages. It was invented around 13,000 years ago. For the Sumerians in 3000 BC, beer was very popular, but they consumed it in a very different way than we do today.
Usually, the drink was prepared at home and fermented under the floor in clay or stone vats. It was quite thick and resembled soured porridge—the liquid was only at the top.
When Sumerian aristocrats wanted a drink or to treat their friends, they took very long hollow sticks, dipped them into the cellar vats, and sipped the beer through them.
These straws were quite large—so much so that scientists initially thought the discovered specimens were scepters or poles to support canopies. The ends were fitted with gold or silver tips decorated with figurines of bulls. These tips filtered out the thick sludge, allowing only the liquid to be sipped.
The Oldest Beer Is Over 200 Years Old and You Can Drink It
In 2011, Finnish divers retrieved five bottles of beer from a shipwreck in the Baltic Sea. The shipwreck occurred between 1800 and 1830, meaning the discovered beer was over 200 years old.
It might seem reckless to try a liquid that had spent two centuries on the sea floor, but some brave Finns did it.
People who tasted the beer for the Finnish Technical Research Center said the taste was “very old,” with notes of burnt wood. The beer was quite sour—apparently, some fermentation continued in the bottle.
Paulan Monks Drank Beer During Lent Because It Was “Liquid Bread”
Monks have always been remarkably inventive when it comes to finding ways to eat during Lent. They classified beavers as fish so they could eat their tails with horseradish, and they also ate capybaras. They even wrote an entire scientific treatise proving that birds grow on trees, meaning that eating goose was allowed since it wasn’t considered meat.
The Paulan monks from Neudeck ob der Au in Germany also employed various tricks to lighten their fasting and avoid angering the Lord. They came up with the idea of brewing incredibly strong and malty beer—so thick it could be scooped with a spoon.
This brew was called “liquid bread,” and as bread is allowed during Lent, so was the drink. The beer was so strong and caloric that the monks could actually sustain themselves on it.
According to legend, the abbot of the Paulan monastery, to be safe, decided to ask the Pope if their beer could be consumed during Lent and sent him a barrel for a taste.
During the journey, the beer soured, and when the Pope tried it, he almost threw up. He declared that drinking such filth required great humility before the Lord and allowed the monks to consume the beer during Lent.
By the way, the modern version of this beer—no longer thick but liquid and filtered—is now sold under the Paulaner Salvator brand.
Beer With 55% Alcohol Was Sold in a Stuffed Squirrel
Once, the brewers from the Scottish firm BrewDog came up with the idea of brewing the world’s strongest beer, and they created a drink with 55% alcohol content. Such a brew is made by repeatedly freezing it, removing the water, and leaving the maximum amount of alcohol.
But selling such beer in a simple bottle seemed boring to BrewDog, so they created special packaging for the first batch of 12 bottles. The vessels were placed in… stuffed squirrels, weasels, and a hare. This was to make the $765 beer’s packaging more entertaining for buyers.
According to company representatives, no animals were harmed in the making of the packaging: the bodies of roadkill were specially collected from Scottish roads and then handed over to a taxidermist.
Beer Can Not Only Be Drunk but Also Spread on Bread
If you really crave beer but can’t tolerate alcohol, you still have a chance to enjoy it—in the form of a spread.
The owner of an Italian chocolate shop, Pietro Napoleone, came up with a unique recipe: mix 40% craft beer, sugar, and glucose syrup and turn it into a thick paste that can be spread on a roll.
This creamy non-alcoholic drink pairs well with cured meats, game, roasts, fish dishes, salads, and desserts. It also goes well with crackers, fried sausage, cheese, bacon, and eggs—in short, it can be eaten with just about anything. The product is called Birra spalmabile.
