Important Dates in Beer History
Throughout the thousands of years humans have been brewing and drinking beer, there have been many history shaping events. The world would not be the same without these monumental occurences in the history of beer.
5000 BC- Neolithic people abandoned their wandering lives for farming, to grow grain for brewing beer changing the course of humanity forever
The Sphinx and Great Pyramid in Egypt
3000 BC- The Egyptians were brewing at least six different types of beer.
2000 BC- Assyrian tablets stated that Noah was carrying beer aboard the ark.
1750 BC- According to The Code of Hammurabi of ancient Babylonia, a merchant could be put to death for diluting beer.
1600 BC- Medicinal uses for beer discovered. Beer was used to treat over 100 illnesses in Egypt
1116 BC- Chinese imperial edict stated that heaven required people to drink beer.
Saint Arnold the Patron Saint of Beer
580- Saint Arnold, the bishop was born. He is considered the patron saint of beer. He encouraged people to drink beer instead of water during the Plague. Indeed, the Plague suddenly disappeared once his word spread (though some suggest because beer was boiled in the brewing process, it would have been safer than water, which had previously spread the infection.) When Saint Arnold died in 640, the citizens of his hometown carried his body from Remiremont to Metz for reburial in their church. On this journey, another miracle occurred - when the weary porters stopped to share their only mug of beer, they discovered the mug never ran dry.
1516- The first consumer protection law ever written was enacted over beer by Duke Wilhelm IV of Bavaria. It was a purity law limiting the ingredients of beer to barley, hops and water.
1587- The first beer is brewed in the New World at Sir Walter Raleigh's colony in Virginia, but the colonists send requests to England for better beer
1620- The pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock because they ran out of beer. Although they planned to continue down the east coast, the Mayflower's log explains the passengers "were hasted ashore and made to drink water that the seamen might have the more beer".
1642- The first brewery in America was built in Hoboken, NJ.
1740- Admiral Vernon of the British fleet decided to water down the navy's rum. The unhappy sailors nicknamed the Admiral 'Old Grog', after his wool grogram coats. The term 'grog' soon began to mean the watered down drink itself.
Octoberfest in Munich
1810- Munich establishes Oktoberfest as an official celebration.
1814- A flood of beer swept through the streets of St. Giles, England, on October 17, 1814. Caused by a rupture in a brewery tank containing 3500 barrels of beer, the tidal wave killed nine people and demolished two houses.
1840- The first U.S. lager was brewed by John Wagner, who had a small brewery in the back of his house on St. John Street in Philadelphia. Wagner brought the first lager yeast to the United States from a brewery in Bavaria.
1842- Pilsner beer was invented. Pilsner Urquell, the original pilsner, still uses the same recipe and brewing process today as they did back then.
1869- Beer was first sold in bottles by English brewer Francis Manning-Needham. Prior to this, beer lovers would visit their local tavern with a special bucket, have it filled and then begin the merry journey home.
1888- Citizens of Munich took to the streets and rioted after a beer price increase was announced.
1892- Bottle caps, or "crowns," were invented in Baltimore by William Painter. Painter proved his invention's worth when he convinced a local brewer to ship a few hundred cases of beer to South America and back and they returned without a leak.
1920- Prohibition begins on January 16, 1920, lasted 13 years, 10 months, 19 days, 17 hours, and 32-1/2 minutes.
U.S. President FDR and Vice President Garner
1932- Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was elected President of the United States because of his promise to end Prohibition.
1933- Prohibition ends on December 5, 1933 at 3:32 p.m. Beer was the first legal alcoholic beverage to be sold when prohibition was repealed. Beer was legal on April 7, 1933, but other alcoholic beverages could not be legally purchased until December 5, 1933.
1935- The canned beer industry was revolutionized by a vinyl plastic liner developed for cans made out of tin.
1962- Iron City beer was the brand used to test-market the concept of tab opening aluminum cans. By 1970, over 90% of all beer cans were self-opening.
If you have an Important Date in Beer History that we have left out, please send it to us- beer@howsaboutabeer.com
Disclaimer: We pillaged and plundered the web for this content and make no guarantees to the accuracy or truthfulness of any of it but it does make for interesting reading and a few laughs.
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