^*Interestingly, some scientists have noted the henbane plant, which is dangerous when consumed in larger doses, actually produces psychedelic effects when ingested in smaller amounts. Evidence, perhaps, that Neolithic Britons weren’t just getting drunk—they were tripping.

^*It is a compelling historical side note that beer very well may have played a starring role in the Anglo-Saxon conquest. While dining with Vortigern, the Anglo-Saxon leader Hengist plied the king with large quantities of wine and “other fermented drinks” to convince him that the district of Kent ought to be his, initiating their control of formerly Celtic lands. This author would wager that the drinks in question included copious quantities of beer.

^*Any monastic brewing that did take place in England, or Ireland for that matter, would have come to a screeching halt under the Dissolution of the Monasteries enacted by King Henry VIII. Alas, Trappist ales would have to be confined to the Catholic corners of northern Europe—which seems to have worked out pretty well for Belgium.

^†It’s worth noting that the nomenclature can be a bit confusing. Essentially, the words ale and beer have changed meaning over the years. Today, as we’ll soon see, they can connote two different kinds of yeast, used in ales and lagers respectively. Originally, however, the terms simply indicated whether or not a brew was hopped.

^*Interestingly, the first overseas mail was received at the tavern in 1639, making it America’s first post office. Messages and letters were attached to a “post” at the entrance.

^*It’s worth noting that Boston’s modern Bull Lane, Black Horse Lane, Red Lion Lane, and Cross Street were all originally named after the colonial taverns that once stood there—not bad legacies for humble colonial pubs.

^*Many students also complained that their headmaster’s wife had served them hasty pudding with goat dung in it, which should make modern students think twice before griping about dining hall fare.

^*There was one exception, though, and that was funerals. Those were the only occasions when drunkenness was not only accepted by Puritans, it was actually encouraged. Even children were allowed to get drunk.

^*Many residents of Manhattan may know Brewers Street by its modern name, Stone Street. There is at least one story that it received its name from the first cobblestones that were put in—to keep New Yorker’s feet clean, as it turned out. The leftover water runoff from all the breweries often turned the thoroughfare into muck. The breweries may be all gone, but with the many bars and drinking establishments it boasts today, New Yorkers can count on other things to dirty their shoes on Stone Street.

^*It’s interesting to note that while the Dutch language died out in New York City, it continued to be spoken in New York’s hinterlands well into the twentieth century. One famous native New York Dutch speaker was the U.S. president Martin Van Buren. He is the only president to date whose first language was not English.

^*Two of the defining characteristics of southern cuisine—frying and the use of hot and tangy sauces—both have their origins in the culinary traditions of West Africa. And as for gumbo, the name itself is believed to come from the Bantu word for okra, ki ngombo.

^†Interesting side note: A version of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is brewed in Nigeria that uses local sorghum as opposed to imported barley. No other Guinness FES has ever attempted or been allowed to do this.

^*African Americans may have been among the first to brew a persimmon beer with sweet potatoes and corn as adjuncts, although there is evidence that the Cherokee made a persimmon wine. As records exist of early southerners of both English and African descent including persimmons in alcoholic drinks, it seems likely that they learned about the ingredient early on from their Native American neighbors.

^*As to the origins of beer made from molasses, it’s difficult to pinpoint them exactly. Records of alcoholic drinks made from sugar cane go back all the way to ancient India and China, and early American colonists in both the North and South did use molasses to varying degrees for brewing. It’s not implausible, however, that the practice became widespread thanks to the ingenuity of Africans in the New World. As molasses beer is essentially the precursor to rum, it seems likely that the practice became popular first among slaves in the Caribbean, before being picked up and brought to the kitchens of the American colonies. If this was the case, then one could argue that African brewing traditions did indirectly help create a form of beer that was widespread in the South.

^*Brewing histories often list the Hallertau region of southern Germany as the cradle of hop usage. While it is true that hops were grown there from a very early time, and that Hallertau would go on to become the biggest hop-producing region in later years, historical records seem to indicate pretty clearly that large-scale hop brewing began in the monasteries of the north. As we shall see, it became widespread in Bavaria only after it had already become a common practice in the commercial breweries of Hamburg and other cities in the Hanseatic League.

^*If you buy a bock-style beer today, be it in America or Germany, you’re likely to encounter some image of a goat on the label. This began as a playful tip of the cap to the Bavarian dialect, which corrupted the name Einbeck into ein Bock, the Bavarian word for “billy goat.”

^*Souring, in and of itself, is not always a bad thing. In Belgium in particular, sour beer styles such as lambic and gueuze have always used wild yeast and bacteria strains to produce a delicious, albeit tart drink. However, the same Lactobacillus and Brettan-omyces used to produce those famous ales can become total batch ruiners when they sneak into the wort uninvited.

^*The theory that lager yeast owes its origins to Patagonia comes from genetic research. At present, the wild yeast found there is the only possible candidate for its ancestor. It is theoretically possible, though, that the cold-fermenting yeast owes its origins to some other corner of the globe, to a strain that has yet to be discovered—in which case the theory would have to be amended. But for now, Patagonia looks like the only option.

^*In fact, America owes its bestselling bourbon to just such a fellow. Jim Beam Inc. can trace its origins to an eighteenth-century German immigrant named Johannes Böhm, who set up a still in the wilds of Kentucky.

^*Traditional beer steins may have come from Germany, but so did their downfall. The arrival of kräusening and filtration from the Old Country made a more clarified, visually appealing beer possible, and glass quickly replaced the old stoneware mugs so drinkers could appreciate all those golden bubbles.

^*In terms of pure physical size, the Incan Empire was by far the largest. At its height, it stretched some 2,400 miles from north to south, for a total area of almost 300,000 square miles. Some estimates put as many as twelve million people living within its borders. And yes, they drank lots of beer.

^*And, incidentally, a reason the introduction of distilled spirits by Europeans would prove so destructive to many indigenous cultures later on. To peoples who overindulged on low-alcohol beverages on rare and sacred occasions, the sudden arrival of high-proof spirits, when coupled with a cultural breakdown in sacred traditions, often did have harmful effects.

^*It’s not something you see much in cowboy movies, but cocktails were standard fare in western saloons. In addition to beer and whiskey, thirsty gunslingers enjoyed sherry cobblers, gin and bitters, spiced wines, and a host of other mixed drinks one wouldn’t normally associate with High Noon. Oh, and oysters—pickled or canned, they were popular in western saloons, too.

^*Today, the Anchor Brewing Company owns the trademark on “Steam Beer,” which has resulted in the name “California Common” to be more commonly used in the industry. This may be frustrating for some newcomers, but after sticking it out all those years, it’s probably safe to say that the old San Francisco brewery has earned it.

^*Also, it seems that history is not without its own sense of irony. After more than a century of big breweries outselling or buying out the regional “little guys,” some of the biggest beer brands in America have themselves been purchased by heavy hitters from abroad. At the time of writing, Budweiser, Miller, and Pabst are owned by huge conglomerates based in Belgium, England, and Russia, respectively.