The 15th June 2018 is Beer Day Britain, so to toast this hop-tastic of days, we’ve come up with a list of the 10 quirkiest questions people ask Google about beer. And yes, hard as it is to believe, these are actual popular searches that actual people have actually tapped into Google. Who’d have thought it. Sit back, crack open a nice cool beer and marvel at how peoples’ brains work…
1. Will beer explode in checked luggage?
Taking beer on a plane is never going to be a great idea, especially when it’s in glass bottles. Of course, security rules mean it’s tricky to take beer with you on the plane in the cabin. As for putting beers in your checked in suitcase, it can be done and normally they won’t explode, as the hold is pressurised (but not usually heated), but we wouldn’t recommend it. And you’ll have to wrap them up well to avoid them being broken!
2. Will beer kills plants?
Some say yes, beer does kill plants as the yeast in it encourages fungi to grow. Other say no, pouring a bit of flat beer into your plant pot will actually help plants grow, as it kills pests and fungi. We can only say you’ll have to try it and see for yourself, but we’re not convinced either way.
Is there any student in the world who hasn’t played Beer Pong? Google still doesn’t really know who invented it though!
3. Who invented beer pong?
The college and university students’ game of choice in halls and residences around the world. We have no idea who invented beer pong and neither does anyone else (even Google!). One thing we know is that, as long as beer exists, the tradition of drinking games will probably never go away.
4. Will beer help constipation?
Yes, in theory! Beer is made from things like barley, which is a source of fibre and it’s fibre that…erm…gets things moving in your digestive tract. In it’s soluble form, the fibre in beer might only be 0,75g per bottle, so you’re still better off drinking prune juice for your bowel movements. Sorry if you’re having your tea whilst reading this.
5. Can beer get you drunk?
Surely this is obvious? The more beer you drink, the more wobbly you’ll feel and that means you are drunk. It’s really not rocket science is it? Why would anyone need to Google if beer gets you drunk? Or are we missing something?
6. Why beer belly
‘Why beer belly’ what? What’s the thinking here? Typing this into Google sounds like the cry of frustrated guys with ‘Dad bods’ wanting to find magical solutions to the fact that the six-pack of their youth has tuned into the paunch of middle age. Unfortunately there isn’t one!
You asked Google if beer cans are lined with plastic…they are and here’s why.
7. Are beer cans lined with plastic?
Now this is a actually a very valid question. When we looked into whether beer cans were lined with plastic, it seems they are. Using tins rather than bottles better protects the beer from sunlight and being smashed, as well as being lighter. Problem is, a polymer coating called Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to line the cans in order to avoid a ’tinny’ taste to the beer. And many believe this material is pretty toxic, despite assurances by both the UK and European Food Standards agencies.
8. Why beer is better than wine
When it comes to deciding if beer is better than wine, it’s six of one and half a dozen of the other, as our Mum would say. Are you talking about taste, price, tipsiness or hangover? So many variables, so let’s just live and let live with both wine and beer!
9. How beer goggles work
This one made us laugh out loud. It’s pretty easy to get your very own pair of beer goggles and contrary to popular belief there are both men’s and women’s models available. Simply consume excess beer and suddenly they’ll appear. At this moment it’s best to hop in a taxi (or your Shandy Scooter) and make your way home before there’s trouble.
10. Why beer is better than men
Cue lots of quips about it being a whole lot easier to find a good beer than a good man, the fact that beer doesn’t leave the toilet seat up or snore and you get the idea of what Google thinks about this question!
So there you have it. The 10 quirkiest questions Google has been asked about beer. We think it’s time to stop typing odd stuff about beer into your search engine and learn something useful about beer instead. How about a visit to a brewery? We’re sure they won’t mind if you ask whether plants like their beer…
Book yourself in for a brewery visit and you can ask an expert brewer all your beer questions!
Pour yourself a wee dram and find out how long your whisky will keep for!
You’ve got a lovely bottle of whisky – but how long does whisky keep for? Does whisky go off once you’ve opened it? All these burning questions and more are answered in honour of whisky drinkers everywhere, whether you like it neat or on the rocks.
How long will whisky keep unopened?
Forever! If you conserve the bottle correctly, it will keep. It’s worth noting that, unlike wine, once bottled, whisky doesn’t mature with age. So, as the Scotch Whisky Association says: ‘Even if you keep a 12 year old bottle for 100 years, it will always be a 12 year old whisky’.
So whisky doesn’t go off?
Correct. If you keep your bottle of whisky away from direct sunlight, the whisky will ‘neither improve or deteriorate’, as the SWA tells us.
And what if the bottle is opened? How long can you keep whisky then?
Same. As long as it’s kept away from sunlight, your beloved whisky won’t go off. If you’ve drunk some of that delicious golden peaty nectar and the bottle is half full (or half empty?), it might be worth decanting the whisky into a smaller bottle, so there’s less airspace in there. In all cases, you need to make sure the bottle is sealed tightly again.
Opened or unopened, kept correctly your bottle of whisky will keep forever!
Should you store your whisky lying down or standing up?
Upright is best. But once again, the most important thing to stop your whisky from going off is to make sure it’s not in direct sunlight, so in the drinks cabinet cupboard, rather than on the sideboard or worktop.
We often put vodka in the freezer, should we store whisky in the freezer too?
No. There’s no point in trying to freeze whisky. It won’t freeze in a domestic freezer, as an alcohol like whisky with around 80% proof or 40% abv (alcohol by volume) only freezes at about -27 degrees celsius.
So why do we put vodka in the freezer and not whisky?
As with whisky, vodka won’t actually freeze in your home freezer, but the viscosity of the liquid increases, making the vodka smoother to drink with a better texture. However, it does mute flavours and aromas. That’s the very reason why whisky should never be stored in the freezer or even the fridge. Whisky has a complex blend of flavours and aromas – and that’s not be messed with by a freezer!
My whisky is cloudy! What’s happened?
It’s been stored at a very low temperature. Once back at room temperature, that cloudiness should go.
How should your whisky be served? With or without ice?
In that case, how is whisky best served?
At room temperature, so you can fully appreciate that complex bouquet of flavours that come from the maturation process in oak barrels. It was deemed perfect at the moment it was bottled, so just serve your whisky neat in a tumbler, or for the European whisky drinking nations, add a couple of ice cubes.
So just to recap on the crucial question of how long whisky will keep:
- Whisky will not go off if kept out of direct sunlight (unopened or not)
- Whisky does not improve/deteriorate/mature with age
- Keep and drink your whisky at room temperature to fully appreciate its bouquet of aromas
Now you know the answer to the question of how long whisky will keep for. Have our handy hints and tips on how to store whisky whet your appetite to learn more about this popular spirit? We’ve got unique Whisky Connoisseur workshops available at the artisanal Bimber Distillery in London, where you can taste your way through the whole whisky-making process.
You know how long your whisky will keep for, but do you know how whisky is made? Find out on the whisky connoisseur experience in London
National Pie Week 2018 got us thinking about pies. Whether you’re partial to a Pork Pie, a Scotch Egg or a good old Steak Pie, us Brits love our meat pies. The aim of National Pie Week is to promote all that pastry goodness and get us eating all the pies!
Traditional pie ‘n’ mash
The humble meat pie has been a staple of Britishness for decades. Who hasn’t been to a chip shop and plumped for a slightly soggy-bottomed, but somehow still tempting, Pukka Pie? Made in Leicestershire, this family-run company churns out over 180,000 pies a day. And the most popular flavour since they began in the early 60s? Why good old Steak and Kidney of course!
If you’re in the London area, you can’t miss the traditional Pie & Mash shop. It’s like the southern equivalent of the fish and chip shop, but with pies. The most authentic will still serve you a meat pie, with mash and liquor (which is a parsley-based thin sauce), accompanied by a serving of jellied eels. Our favourite London pie shop is Goddards at Greenwich, which has a been dishing up pie and mash since 1890.
And who can forget Fray Bentos? Those pies in a tin might be seen as being downmarket these days by some, but they’re still going strong and even have a cult following. The company, named after the town in Uruguay where the meat originally came from, started making Corned Beef in 1865 and now the tinned pies are made at a factory in Fochabers, Scotland.
Fray Bentos, exotically-named meat pies, but actually made in Scotland!
Humble meat pies get a makeover
All these traditional brands aside, pies have had a makeover in recent years. One of the pie-oneers of the new school, trendy ‘street food’ style pies is Pieminister, the Bristol-based artisan pie company that started with an indoor market stall and has gone global.
Their buttery pastry pies have gone down a storm in pubs and delicatessens around the country and pie eaters love the quirky names like ‘Moo & Blue’ (steak and stilton) and ‘Kevin’ the vegan pie. The standout favourite remains the Chicken of Aragon, a delicious combination of chicken, tarragon and smoked bacon.
Meat pies, pork pies, Scotch eggs and more at Pie Fest in Melton Mowbray
A festival of pies
Now pies are cool again, you’ll see them on menus in gastropubs and on sale in delicatessens around the country. There’s even a whole weekend dedicated to all things pie with the Pie Fest organised by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association. It’s held at the Cattle Market in Melton Mowbray, the home of Pork Pies, every year at the end of July. Here you can browse the stalls, taste and buy a whole range of pies, including meat pies, Scotch eggs and pork pies too with both traditional and inventive recipes too.
You can even attend in pie-making demonstrations, where everything from flaky to shortcust pastries will be covered. And if Melton Mowbray is too far from you, there are pastry making classes on offer at cookery schools around the country where you can learn how to make you’re very own tasty pies and tarts to eat at home. Two of our favourites are the Perfect Pastry Course at the Manor School of Fine Cuisine in Nottinghamshire and the Pastry Masterclass at the Cooking Academy in Hertfordshire, to name but two.
Learn to bake your flaky and shortcrust meat pies at home on a pastry cookery course
Caroline F
March 12, 2018
Contact
01959 578100
