Have you ever wondered why we drink beer?  Why because it is so yummy, of course.  Easy question.  I know that was kind of like the government spending $5 million on a study as to why prisoners want to get out of jail.

Well it turns out there is actually a scientific reason Americans drink beer.  I'm not making this up. I saw it on the History Channel.  Turns out people in the world, didn't used to drink beer.  Sad but true.  If you were a caveman, you were basically screwed.  Not only did you have to run from dinosaurs, but you had no beer.  Sucks to be them. 

The world used to be wine drinkers.  Then around the 14th century, there was, what scientists call a mini-ice age, that lasted about 200 years.  The mini-ice age killed all the grapevines throughout Northern Europe.  The people in Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, England, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium basically went 200 years with no wine.  You see, back in the 14th Century, we didn't have shiny 18 wheelers delivering booze to our favorite watering hole.  You pretty much had to go to the booze. It didn't come to you. 

Now, these poor Northern European folks, they had no wine, so they had to make due with what they had.  And what they had was lots of wheat, and lots barley, and lots of hops, which was pretty much all they were able to grow in Northern Europe during the mini-ice age.  My friends, and what do you make from wheat, barley and hops?  You make beer and you make scotch.  And make it they did. 

Coincidentally, when the mini-ice age ended, that is right around the time, the religious persecution movement started gaining lots of steam in Europe.  That was about the same time, these Northern Europeans started coming to the United States.  Generally speaking, most of the early settlers in this country did not come from the Mediterranean area, they came from Northern Europe.  Obviously, Northern Europeans brought with them the tools and the skills they had.  Those skills included making whiskey and making beer. 

Thomas Jefferson was known to brew his own beer at Monticello.  At one point in our American history, George Washington was the largest manufacturer of whiskey in the country.  America is still not necessarily known as a wine drinking country.  Approximately 88% of the wine is drunk by approximately 11% of the population.  Far more beer and whiskey is consumed in this country.

So, next time your significant other says to you, why do you have to drink beer whenever there is a football game on....you can always say, well dear, there was this mini-ice age......I'm sure she will be more than impressed.