Friday August 3 marks the 10th annual International Beer Day, kicking off a day of celebrations in more than 200 cities around the world all in honour of one of the oldest drinks in the world.
We’ve lined up some of the South West’s finest spots to enjoy a local drop, whether you like a drink with a view or a cosy country pub vibe.
A few more facts about beer:
- Beer is one of the world's oldest prepared beverages, possibly dating back to the early Neolithic or 9500 BC.
- The Czech Republic is the beer drinking capital of the world. Each Czech drinks an average of 40 gallons a year.
- 95 per cent of all beer sold in Australia is made in Australia.
- Australians pay amongst the highest tax on beer in the world.
- Ancient Babylonians took their brewing so seriously, they would sometimes drown the brewer in the offending batch of ale as a final punishment for turning out an average brew.
- Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids while consuming about 4 litres of beer per worker, every day.
- According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Australians today are drinking less alcohol overall than in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s or 2000s.
- Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass.
- In 1814, almost 400,000 gallons of beer flooded several streets in London after a huge vat ruptured in the parish of St. Giles.
- More than 6 million people from around the world celebrate in Munich for Oktoberfest each year.
- The World Health Organisation reports that Australia is at the low end of the spectrum of heavy episodic drinking (aka binge drinking) compared to culturally similar countries.
- The world´s most expensive beer is Belgian's "Vielle Bon Secours“. One bottle costs around 1000 American dollars.
