Ballwin Schnucks Offering Free 'Beer Class'

Being a beer aficionado has never been so easy.

in Ballwin is offering a class aimed at providing beer lovers with special insight into the wide world of beer with a class being offered at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the store located at 15425 Manchester Road in Ballwin. Sign ups are available at the store courtesy counter.

Interested in a few fun facts about brew to tie you over until Thursday's class? Check out these insights into beer history and consider just how much the drink has evolved:

• Beer contains xanthohumol—an incredible cancer fighting antioxidant. Unfortunately, to get the benefit you'd need to drink 118 gallons of beer a day.

• The Sumerians were fermenting beer as early as the 6th millennium B.C. The used recipes as Hymns to Ninkasi—the goddess of beer.

• U.S. prohibition lasted 13 years, 10 months, 19 days 17 hours and 32.5 minutes. After, President Roosevelt said, 'What America needs now is a drink."

• It's not the age that makes beer go bad, it's the light. This is why beer normally comes in green or brown bottles.

• Lager was created accidentally in the Middle Ages by Bavarian brewers. It happened when they tried fermenting beer in cold winter temperatures.

• The London Beer Flood in 1814 killed nine people. Over 300,000 gallons spilled into the streets.

• Censosllicaphobia is fear of an empty glass. Collecting beer mats is known is Tegestology and collecting beer bottles is called labeorphily.

• When beer is poured into a glass, some of the bubbles float downwards. This is due to drag and turbulence created at the 'head' of the beer.

• The ancient Babylonians had tough beer quality-control measures. Brewers of bad beer reportedly were drowned in their own product.

• Vikings believed in Heiorun, a goat whose udders produced unlimited beer. It was waiting for them in Valhalla.

Source: Huffington Post.