The Ancient Egyptians did it and so did many other ancient civilizations as far back as 9500BC. What did they do? They drank beer! Beer drinking back then and beer drinking now serves the same purpose, to quench thirst and to compliment food. Although the recipes have changed considerably from the inclusion of fruit, honey and narcotic herbs, beer still remains the world’s most widely consumed beverage after water and tea.

The history of beer is a long and colourful one, so here are some facts about beer that we bet you didn’t know!

The ancient Sumerians sang a hymn to Ninkasi, known as the Goddess of Beer that was actually the recipe for making beer. They composed the hymn so they could remember the recipe since most of them were illiterate. Many historians believe that beer was influential in the formation of civilizations.

The Ancient Egyptians most likely built the pyramids under the influence. According to Patrick McGovern, an archaeologist from the University of Pennsylvania, workers at Giza were paid in beer, about 4 litres a day.

The country that drinks the most beer in the world is the Czech Republic. With an incredible per-capita beer consumption of almost 40 gallons a year, the Czechs are way out in front in the beer-drinking world league table.

The world´s most expensive beer is Belgium’s, ‘Vielle Bon Secours’. One bottle costs around US$1,000

Old Vikings believed that in their heaven called Valhalla, there is a giant goat whose udders provide an unlimited supply of beer

Ancient Babylonians were so serious about brewing beer that if anyone brewed a bad batch they would drown him in it as a punishment

In the middle ages, beer was consumed more than water because the alcohol made it safer to drink

Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty glass

Sources: various websites and studies

If you would like to share some other interesting facts about beer, we’d love to add them to our list. Please email us at askus@caribbrewery.com