Let’s face it, people love trivia. The TV show, Jeopardy!, has been around for 83,000 years because people like trivia and facts. According to statistics I just made up, at any given time of the day, there are 57.6 million people in a bar playing team trivia, playing Trivial Pursuit, or acting like they’re working while really playing Trivia Crack on their phones. I’ll say it again … people love trivia.
Discussing an upcoming beertasting with RW and LA, we started firing some beer trivia back and forth, which brings us today’s post. So, why don’t we share some of it so that you can wow your friends, embarrass your children, and/or win the $10 gift card at the next team trivia night. We have compiled the top beer-related trivia and factoids to be found anywhere. And before you ask … yes they’re all for real. They’re on the internet; they HAVE to be!
- But How Did It Taste?
Some dude named Steven Petrosino set the Guinness Record for chugging a liter of beer (33 ounces) in 1977. 1.3 seconds. ONE POINT THREE SECONDS. Rumor has it he was a total lightweight and passed out 3.7 seconds later.
- I’ve Always Been an Overachiever
Beer is the world’s third most popular beverage, behind Dasani and Snapple … I mean water and tea. The average American consumes 23 gallons of beer per year. That’s 87.06 liters for Mr. Petrosino. (FYI: it would take him almost 2 minutes to drink that much beer!) For reference, those crazy Czechs drink 40 gallons a year per person. We have work to do, folks! - I Can’t Think This Is a Good Idea
Alcoholics in Amsterdam help clean the city streets and other public areas. In exchange for their labor, they get … 5 beers. Not sure we’re helping those that need help. - I Think It Was a Double IPA
Beer can be dated back to the Neolithic Age – around 9500 BC. Brian Williams was there and said it was delicious. - Ah, But What a Way to Go
In 1814, a portion of London was flooded when a vat ruptured in a monastery, spilling 400,000 gallons of porter, killing 8 people. No one was charged because they called it an act of God. - NERDS!
Stanford researchers found that beer bubbles create a gravity-defying loop. Bubbles head up in the center where frictional drag from the glass is less and down on the outside as the top gets crowded. Stop staring at the doggone bubbles and enjoy the beer! - Bartender, I Need a Raise!
The workers who built the Pyramids in Egypt were paid in beer, which was the prevailing
currency of the day. Four liters of beer each day. That would have lasted exactly 5.2 seconds for Steven Petrosino.
- And It Makes Everyone Around You Prettier
Just like you learned in elementary school … a beer day keeps kidney stones away (or at least reduces the risk by 40%). - It Pays to Finnish First
Finland hosts a competition called the Wife Carrying World Championships every year. The winner’s prize? The wife’s weight in beer. Finnish men are encouraging their wives to gain crazy weight leading up to it. - Big Brother Is a Teetotaler
It is illegal to show people drinking beer on US television commercials. If you see people drinking, it’s supposed to be a non-alcoholic beverage. Spoil sports. - I Totally Should Have Had a Different Major
Zythology … the study of beer and beer-making. Like ‘marketing’ or ‘business’ are ever going to do me any good. - I Have No Response to That
Old Vikings believed that if they lived the right life, they would make it to Valhalla, and a giant goat would supply unlimited beer from its udders. Again, I have no response to that. - What a Way to Go, Part II
Ancient Babylonians loved their beer. In fact, if someone made a bad batch, they were drowned. In the beer. Open for debate, if the beer was no good, it truly could be a terrible punishment. - Don’t We All Suffer From This?
Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass. Friends don’t let friends suffer. It’s best to travel in packs and watch out for each other so we never have to succumb to cenosillicaphobia. - No Confirmation On Whether They Could Field a Better Team Than the One in Milwaukee
The first professional brewers were all women named brewsters. It is said that a woman had to be very beautiful to be allowed to be a brewster. Rumor has is that all brewsters became substantially more beautiful as the night wore on. - Sweetwater 420 Fans Be Like, “Duh!”
Beer’s hops are in the same family of flowering plants as marijuana. So, if medical marijuana is becoming a thing, do you think a few pints could be slipped into that IV in the hospital too? - No Wonder He Won the Nobel Peace Prize!
President Jimmy Carter signed a bill that created tax exemption for beer brewed at home for
personal use. Good news/ bad news. It opened the door for today’s craft brewery explosion, but it also allowed his brother to make Billy Beer.
- And Every Kid Had a Perfect Attendance Record
Until the 1970s, table beer was served in schools. Teachers all thought the kids were completely chill every afternoon. - Here They Just Make You Want to Drink
In Argentina, political parties have their own brands of beer. I guess we do too … Grumpy Old Men Brewery in Blue Ridge, GA and Big Time Brewery’s Whiny the Complainer. - Flavor Saver? Try Flavor Waster
Over 160,000 pints of Guinness are wasted each year in mustaches. Come on, guys.
