Forum topic: An Ode to Beer

 "Not all chemicals are bad. Without chemicals such as hydrogen and oxygen, for example, there would be no way to make water, a vital ingredient in beer."
-Dave Barry

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” -Ben Franklin

What is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage? Beer!

After tea and water, it is the third most consumed beverage period, with alchohol or not!

It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches derived from cereal grains including malted barley, although wheat, corn, and rice. Hops are added to most beers for flavor and bitterness, and because it acts as a natural preservative.

"Oh, lager beer! It makes good cheer, And proves the poor man's worth; It cools the body through and through, and regulates the health."
-Anonymous

According to Wikipedia,

"Some of humanity's earliest known writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating beer and beer parlours,[4] and "The Hymn to Ninkasi," a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people.[5][6] Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries."

"No soldier can fight unless he is properly fed on beef and beer."
-John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough

“The mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer.” - Egyptian Proverb

"Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed - Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, 'It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver.'"
-Deep Thought, Jack Handy

“The government will fall that raises the price of beer.” - Czech saying

Also from Wikipedia:

"The basics of brewing beer are shared across national and cultural boundaries and are commonly categorized into two main types — the globally popular pale lagers, and the regionally distinct ales, which are further categorized into other varieties such as pale ale, stout and brown ale. The strength of beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV) though may range from less than 1% abv., to over 20% ABV in rare cases.

Beer forms part of the culture of various beer-drinking nations and has acquired various social traditions and associations, such as beer festivals and a rich pub culture involving activities such as pub crawling or pub games such as bar billiards."

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"Whoever serves beer or wine watered down, he himself deserves in them to drown."
-Midieval plea for pure libations

"Beer: So much more than just a breakfast drink."
-Whitstran Brewery sign

"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline - it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer."
-Frank Zappa

Oh, beer, we love you, you fill us with cheer - yeah for beer!