There are few things that we enjoy in Britain as much as pub quizzes and beer, but what happens when you combine the two? You get the sort of trivia that’ll help you and your quiz team pile up the points in any competition you enter.
And to help to push you to the podium in your local pub quiz during Oktoberfest, Protect Line have put together a quick list of beer facts that every trivia hound and curious quizzer can use to win friends and influence people and amaze quiz masters the length and breadth of the country.
For instance, did you know that beer was brewed in Northern Europe across the Celtic lands, from Germany to Britain, with archaeological evidence showing Germany has been brewing beer from as early as 800BCE, though which country brewed beer first is disputed.
Or that the world’s most expensive beer in the world is Nail Brewing Antarctic Nail Ale, which was brewed from an Antarctic iceberg that was shipped to, and melted in Tasmania before the beer was brewed in Perth. Nail Brewing only made 30 bottles and bottle #2 of this incredibly difficult to facilitate and create beer was sold to Dr Anthony Durrell for $1,850.
And did you know that the strongest recognised beer in the world is brewed in Scotland by Brewmeister. It’s called Snake Venom and with an ABV (alcohol by volume) of 67.5%, is stronger than whisky, which usually has an ABV of 40%.
Or that one of the most exclusive and sought after beers that’s still being brewed is Westvleteren 12, a Quadruple ale made by the monks in the Saint-Sixtus Abbey in Vleteren in Belgium. The monks only brew enough to sustain themselves and their abbey and if you’re lucky enough to find a bottle of this beer or manage to order one on the one day a year the monks actually take orders for it, at 10.2% alcohol by volume, one will probably be more than enough
And despite the fact that most people believe that the most popular type of beer in the UK is lager, it’s actually India Pale Ale, or as it’s more commonly known IPA, and while we’re on the subject of lager, did you know that it’s actually a German word that means “storage”.
Bavarian “lager” was traditionally a beer that was stored in cold caves while maturing in the summer months but the term gradually changed over time to describe the beer that was, until the mid to late nineteen sixties far more popular in Europe than it was in the UK.
Last but not least, did you know that the amount of beer that someone drinks, as well as being detrimental to their health, can severely limit their financial options? According to the insurance underwriting data from Protect Line’s alcohol calculator there’s a defined limit of how many pints you can get away with drinking each week before your life insurance policy becomes more expensive.
The most important thing to remember about beer though, is that it’s a drink that’s been part of our cultural and national identity for thousand of years, and will probably continue to fill that role for thousands more. So, here’s to beer and here’s to Oktoberfest, the happiest month on the global beer calendar.
