Interesting Facts

June 15th Happy Beer Day Britain

The Irish brewers of Guinness are going to stop using fish bladders as part of the filtration process for the first time in their 256-year history.  (Vegans have been campaigning for this ammendment to the traditional brewing process for years.  I can only hope it doesn't change the taste (which was never fishy).)

According to GoEuro , the cheapest city to drink beer in the world is Krakow, Poland.  In the UK it is Liverpool, London is 63rd. (The top 10 cheapest places, based on the cost of 33cl of beer were as follows:- 1. Krakow, Poland (£1.07) 2. Kiev, Ukraine (£1.07) 3. Bratislava, Slovakia (£1.09) 4. Malaga, Spain (£1.11) 5. Delhi, India (£1.13) 6. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (£1.15) 7. Mexico City, Mexico (£1.26) 8. Belgrade, Serbia (£1.27) 9. Asuncion, Paraguay (£1.28) 10. Bangkok, Thailand (£1.36) Well, Krakow here I come!)

According to researchers from Bristol University's Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, the shape of a glass can affect the speed at which we drink. (They found that straight glasses cause people to drink more slowly than curved ones. In a test people with straight glasses were 60% slower when consuming alcoholic beverages than those drinking from curved glasses. Markings on a glass also slowed the speed at which people drank. People with a marked glass took an average of 10.3 minutes to finish a pint, while the non-marked glass group took 9.1 minutes. Unfortunately I think this means pubs and restaurants will soon be removing all markings and serving everything in curvy glasses.)

Cathy Price, is a 53 year old mother of one, and what makes her interesting is she is on the longest pub crawl ever, visiting every pub in the UK called the Red Lion, allegedly the most common name for a pub. (Her goal is to visit all 724 Red Lion pubs in Britain.  At each pub she visits, she poses for a photo and drinks half a pint of beer. Her longest trip to date was from her home in Preston to the Red Lion at Penzance, Cornwall - a 750-mile round trip, and so far she has clocked up 7,000 miles. Unfortunately some of the pubs she wanted to visit have already closed for business, about 10%, she calls them Dead Lions and crosses them off her list. Once she has conquered the UK she intends to continue her tour abroad; she has already visited a Red Lion in Dubai and New York.) You can follow her on Facebook .

According to research carried out at the Stockholm School of Economics, and published in a report calle, "Hide The Label, Hide The Difference", all lager tastes the same. (Volunteers were given blind samples of Budvar, Heineken and Stella Artois but found they could not tell the difference. The report says:- "Our results suggest that brand loyalty in this market is likely to be driven largely by marketing and packaging, and not by the underlying sensory properties of the competing products." This is actually good news for me, because I always suspected it, but thought maybe it was my taste buds that couldn't tell the difference between cheap and premium lagers.)

Belgian, Marjolein Geuens is the 2014 Stella Artois World Draught Master. (She pulled the best pint at the Draught Masters in Cannes, following the nine steps serving ritual:- THE PURIFICATION The trademark Stella Artois chalice was specially designed to release the beer’s flavour and aroma. It should be cleaned with a non-fat-based detergent, and rinsed with cold water, so that the glass reaches the same temperature as the beer. THE SACRIFICE The beer tap should be opened in one swift motion to let the first burst of foam flow away. The foam must never enter the glass, thus ensuring that every drop of Stella Artois is fresh.  THE LIQUID ALCHEMY The chalice glass should be held at a 45-degree angle.   THE HEAD The glass should be straightened and lowered to create a foam head.   THE REMOVAL The tap should be closed in one quick action and the glass moved away from the font, to prevent any stray drops, which have come into co...

Today is National No Housework Day and National Beer Day. (Guess what I'll be doing?)

Bosses at the Charles Wells brewery have ordered publicans to ensure customers do not exceed the Government’s recommended health guidelines. (This would limit customers to three to four units of alcohol a day for men and two for women. Their flagship beer Bombardier contains 2.7 units a pint, which would limit pubs to serving about one and a half pints of beer per person. No more two beer photos!)

According to a study carried out by Lloyds Bank Private Banking, a pint of beer in the UK has gone up by 1,948 per cent, since 1973. (It's no wonder I feel as if I'm working harder but getting poorer.)

According to a story in the Daily Star, there are 32 students living in one house in Plymouth. The house started life as four separate terraced houses, which were knocked through into one complex of rooms. (The house comprises of, 32 bedrooms; 22 toilets; two living rooms; three kitchens; one utility room; seven showers (four of which contain twin showers); one bath; a pool table; a dart board; four washing machines; five fridges; five freezers; and four ovens. They get through 40 loo rolls; 20 bin bags of rubbish; 100 tins of baked beans; 20 large bags of pasta; 500 cans of beer; 150 cans of cider; 50 Pot Noodles; 150 takeaways. And each week they collectively spend their time in the following activities: 320 hours at lectures; 311 hours partying at nightclubs; 1,300 hours watching TV; 900 hours playing PlayStation; 224 hours playing pool. According to The Wright Stuff, by the time they graduate they will owe over 1 million in student fees. Of course, that's always assuming ...

The lager brand, Stella Artois, is insisting that bar staff in the UK have to use the brand's full name, and not call it simply "Stella". (It is the best selling premium lager brand in the UK, but in an attempt to rebrand the drink, they are running a campaign called the Connoisseurs Programme and are using the slogan "reassuringly expensive". Why? Well - In Britain, it is also known as "wife beater", as its high alcohol content is thought to be responsible for many "domestic incidents". The company lowered the alcohol content from over 5% abv to 4.8% in an attempt to reposition it away from such connections to domestic violence.) What's in a name?

Until 2012, beer was considered a soft drink in Russia. (O n New Year's Day 2012, beer in Russia becomes classified as an alcoholic drink for the very first time. A Russian saying goes: "Beer without vodka is like throwing money to the wind." Thanks to  +Luke Pettit  for bringing this interesting fact to my attention.) 

The very first sip of beer releases a chemical that makes you want another one. (According to a study carried out at Indiana’s Alcohol Research Centre, that first sip releases dopamine into the brain. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked to the brain’s pleasure centres. That must be why my photos are always 2 beers .) Source

If you want to buy a beer at the Olympics it will cost the equivalent of £7.23. (A 330ml bottle of Heineken lager at the Games will cost £4.20, which is the equivalent of £7.23 for a pint. This is more than double the national average price of £3.17. And it doesn't stop there;  bars at the official Games venues will also charge £4.80 for a small glass of 'London 2012' red wine, £2.30 for a 500ml bottle of Coca-Cola and £2 for a cup of tea! If you're feeling peckish, you will pay a whacking £2.10 for a toasted teacake, and a portion of cod and chips will set you back at least £8! The good news is you can take your own refreshments (in a soft bag), but you're not allowed to take your own beer or any other alcohol.  Kerching! I'm glad I'll be at home watching it on the tele with a fridge full of beer, a cellar full of wine, and I'm sure I can rustle up a fish finger sandwich.)

The 1st Brewhouse, in Pune, western India, was India's first licenced brew-pub. (Beer is becoming a popular drink in India and at the 1st Brewhouse they brew a beer called Doolally, which is British slang for going mad. If someone could send me a bottle to taste, I'd be very happy.)

Russia has officially recognised beer as an alcoholic drink. (Yes, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a bill on 21st July 2011, that officially classifies beer as an alcoholic drink. This means that beer will no longer be sold in unlicensed kiosks, and its sale will be banned from stores between certain hours, and advertising will be restricted, but don't worry, this won't happen until 2013. So, why has this blindingly obvious fact escaped the Russians until now? Well, anything containing less than 10% alcohol in Russia had been considered a foodstuff. OMG! I should have been born a Russian.)

According to a survey by BM Savings , if prices continue to rise at their current rate the cost of a pint of beer in the UK could reach £8 by 2060! (The idea of beer as a luxury drink is really terrifying to me.)

A microbe which eliminates the stench of stale beer will be poured onto the floorboards at his year's Oktoberfest in Munich. (The bacteria, called Elbomex, is produced by a Bavarian company which sells commercial dishwashers and it seemingly gets rid of all kinds of noxious smells.  The reason they're using it at the Oktoberfest this year is that they're worried the stench of stale beer will be unbearable because of the smoking ban.  Seemingly the stench of stale tobacco used to mask it.  I now no longer regret never having been to the Oktoberfest.) 

Czechs top the world league tables on beer drinking. (Czechs consume more beer per person than people in any other country. Men consume on average 3.1 litres of beer each week with women drinking on average 0.3 litres per week. Come on ladies! You're letting the side down.)