Interesting Facts About Beer

So I had to make a presentation on the history of beer today at the ungodly hour of 9 am. Here are some of the highlights:

1. The Sumerians circa 3000 BC had a prayer called "Hymn to Nankasi", where Nankasi is a diety. The hymn was both a prayer and also a recipe for beer. The Egyptians even offered beer as a sacrifice to the Gods. It seemed the path to God back then involved a cold one.

2. Hops were added to beer in the 9th century. Hops are flower clusters from the hop plant, basically they serve to preserve the beer, but they have a bitter flavor. England passed a law mandating that all brewers put hops in their beers. The peasants at the time didn't like the taste, so they had an uprising. Yes, that's right. Just like many countries fight for their freedom, these peasants fought for their right to great tasting beer. They were brutally killed by the government.

3. The jazz industry really became popular as a result of Prohibition. This is because everyone, and I mean everyone, wanted to go to these "speakeasies", which were essentially bars that served illegal alcohol. Jazz musicians took advantage and played at these places, and it skyrocketed in popularity. I was never a fan of jazz, but maybe that's just because I was sober.