Interesting beer style facts

[C.N. Brewer]

Howdy, one of my favorite things to do is read and study about the history of beer. Style origins, fun facts, how beer styles were influenced by events in history...etc. I was wondering if anyone had any beer facts/trivia to share? I have a good one to start the thread off: India Pale Ales (IPAs) weren’t actually brewed in India or first brewed in India, the name comes from pale ales (at this point in history pale ales are pretty much anything lighter than a porter) being sent to India from Britain in the late 1700s. India Pale Ale was a style name that could help market the beer, by making it seem more exotic. When actually, it wasn’t.

 

[divrack]

Porter originated in the Navy whereby the sailors would get so drunk they couldn't remember which side was port and which starboard and so the top brass started serving the dark Porter to people on the port side and a pale and insipid drink called Starber to those on the other, and so the pissed seamen could just look to their beverage to figure out which side to fire cannons from. This practice was stopped in the mid nineties when men became too pathetic to handle the rigour of a proper job and most of the men left to become life coaches and drink smoothies.