TheHistoryOf.net

Beer has been around a mighty long time. Its origins go back to the 6th century BCE. That means that people were drinking beer in Ancient Iraq and other such places over 2,500 years ago. Since that time, the golden ale has managed to attract numerous myths and to work its way into mythology. Here’s a look at five major myths and five connections to mythology that are a part of the history of beer.

Five Beer Myths

Over the course of time, various myths have developed regarding beer. These are numerous. Here are five top myths regarding the golden brew.

1. The Darker the Beer the Heavier: This is just not true. A dark beer contains more roasted or toasted barely malt and light colored beers less. It has nothing to do with calories.
2. Canadian Beer is Stronger than American: This myth may come from the image that Canadian’s have of being hearty beer drinkers or it may come from the fact that in the old days American’s measured alcohol content by weight and Canadian’s volume, which meant US beer had 4% alcohol by weight and Canada’s beer was 5% alcohol by volume. They had equal amounts of alcohol; it’s was just measured differently. Now both measure by volume—5% alcohol each.
3. Drinking Beer Makes you Fat: You can have a “beer belly” without drinking any brew. Beer has a sensible number of calories as long as it’s consumed responsibly. Overeating and inactivity will make you fat. Get out and exercise!
4. Cold Filtering is Performed by Just Few Breweries: When a beer is advertized as being “cold filtered,” they are telling you the truth. All beer is cold filtered. There are no hot filters in any breweries. The “cold filtering” phrase indicates that the beer has not been pasteurized, which is true of many of the leading beers. It has nothing to do with the type of filter used. 
5. Draught Beer Gets You Drunk Faster than Bottled: Both contain the same amount of alcohol. Alcohol in beer or any other beverage when consumed too quickly or in too large quantities gets you drunk. Whether it is draught or bottle does not matter.

Mythology and Beer

Beer is associated with the mythology of many different cultures. Here are five of the top beer gods.

1. Radegast: He is the Czech God of hospitality and mutuality. This towering God wearing a bull’s head for a crown and has an animalistic look. In Czech mythology, he is credited with creating beer.
2. Silenus: This big-bellied Ancient Greek God of Beer spends a lot of time being drunk and carted around on a donkey or by Satyrs. He is a party animal. Party on, Silenus.
3. Ninkasi: This beautiful goddess is from Sumeria. She is known for being the Goddess of Beer and Brewing and has a reputation for being able to satisfy all human desire. 
4. Osiris: In Ancient Egypt, Osiris is known as the God of Agriculture and Beer. He’s often depicted with a kindly, welcoming look on his face. That makes sense.
5. Mbaba Mwana Waresa: This Zulu Goddess, who is worshipped for her search for true love, is associated with rain and rainbows. It’s also said that she created the first beer that was drunk by humans.

Something to Consider

Next time you’re sitting on one of many classic Hillsdale stools in your favorite pub or on a kitchen bar stool in your home enjoying a glass of brew think about these myths and connections to mythology. Share one with a friend over a glass or pint. The myths, mythology and beer, after all, are about the goodness of that golden brew.  

About the Author

David Dawson enjoys doing odd jobs around the house and making his own brew. He also likes collecting pub memorabilia. In his collection, he has two ornate vintage Hillsdale bar stools. One of his hobbies is refurbishing old kitchen bar stools and pub furniture.  David is a fan of football and darts and an accomplished snooker player.