Tag Archives: civilization

George Will: Beer is essential

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In his Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post two weeks ago, George F. Will used the (at the time) as yet unaccepted offer from InBev for Anheuser-Busch as seen in Investor’s Business Daily as a lead-in to meander from beer as a staple, to beer as essential to civilization, to beer and its role in natural selection.

The story asserted: “The [alcoholic beverage] industry’s continued growth, however slight, has been a surprise to those who figured that when the economy turned south, consumers would cut back on nonessential items like beer.”

“Non what“? Do not try to peddle that proposition in the bleachers or at the beaches in July. It is closer to the truth to say: No beer, no civilization.

The bulk of the piece discusses the research in The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic — and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Steven Johnson. More specifically, how alcohol, specifically beer, was necessary for civilization to grow. Alcohol has natural anti-bacterial properties (not to mention the long boiling necessary to brew killed plenty of “bugs” as well) and was safer to drink than the water.

He concludes that beer is very much essential.

George F. Will – Survival of the Sudsiest

I only had two problems with the article. One, the mugs of Budweiser in the accompanying photograph look so…weak. Okay, sure, it was appropriate to include A-B’s flagship beer, but my goodness it looks like it has no flavor at all.

The other issue I had was that Mr. Will unfortunately perpetuated the beer urban legend that Ben Franklin said that “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” It just ain’t so.

Beer News Sampler

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Call for weak Euro beer
Austrian officials are pushing for a special “Euro 2008″ beer (read: low alcohol) and branded plastic “Euro 2008″ mugs (read: that can’t be used as projectiles) to be served when Austria and Switzerland host the 2008 European Championship. All in an effort to cut down on hooliganism.

Ale’s Well with the World
This article in Scientific American describes the findings of Charlie Bamforth, Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Brewing Science at the University of California, Davis. Specifically, it was the discovery of how to store and ferment grain is what caused people to live together. Thus was born civilization, villages became cities, and technology advanced in leaps and bounds.

Workers Threaten Heineken
Workers at Heineken’s plant in St. Petersburg, Russia, have threatened a “slowdown” unless they get a 30 percent raise, a year-end bonus, extra pay for hazardous conditions and other concessions. It is unclear whether they’ll still be required to drink the beer.

Expert offers tips for pouring a perfect glass of beer
“Though it seems easiest to drink beer straight from the bottle or can, experts recommend pouring it into a clear glass for maximum enjoyment. Different varieties of beer should be served in different types of glasses.” Well, duh! It’s nice to see traditional media with a positive article about beer, however.

Thief betrays himself for beer
A German phone thief led police right to his front door when they called the stolen mobile to say he had won some free beer and he willingly gave his address. Stupid thief or entrapment? You be the judge. (Sorry.)

Go figure: Use math to get the perfect head of beer
U.S. researchers have found a mathematical formula that predicts how beer bubbles change over time. OK, maybe it won’t change the taste of beer that much—but, it has other valuable applications.