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Funny that they're saying this now because fermented drinks used to protect people from health issues when the water supply was not clean enough to drink.

by ct0 5y ago

qwytw 5y ago
This is myth which was debunked countless times already, people always drank water (even in the middle ages).
- tsol 5y ago
  Yes. There's a reason every early human civilization was located near a body of water. Water is necessary for humans. Clean water. Alcohol also doesn't have a significant disinfecting property until at least 30% ABV. And it wasn't until the middle ages that distilled alcohols became common
mywittyname 5y ago
With beer, this was because the brewer needed to boil the water used in order to kill off any microbes which would compete with the yeast, or it would go "off". It's a very important step for brewing beer. Then the beer would be stored in barrels/casks to help reduce the chance of introducing further microbes, plus the use of preservatives like hops to help keep it longer. With wine, people generally mashed the grapes immediately after picking to ensure that the yeast took hold before any harmful bacteria did. Then followed the same process of barrelling it to prevent other microbes from getting in. People also learned that added sugar served to further preserve wines that would be stored for longer periods of time. If people would have boiled their drinking water, it would have been safe to drink.
- Mikeb85 5y ago
  > If people would have boiled their drinking water, it would have been safe to drink. For a limited time. The live cultures and then alcohol in fermented drinks keep the bad bacteria at bay. Keep in mind in the past, not everyone had a convenient source of heat in their homes.
- zabzonk 5y ago
  > With beer, this was because the brewer needed to boil the water No, they didn't - you do not need (or should) boil the water. If you did boil it, you would then need to let it cool down before adding the yeast. Home-brew kits suggest using a fairly small amount of hot water to disolve the malt extract, and to get it up to fermentation temperature. Beer is safer to drink because the yeast out-competes pathogens, and because it causes a pH change that inhibits and/or kills them. Speaking as an ex microbiologist.
  - mywittyname 5y ago
    I once toured a microbrewery which produces beers the same way they did in colonial times. This involved pumping the water up ~20 feet into a copper kettle situated above an elevated brick furnace. The water was boiled, then gravity fed down canals via ladles to other kettles for mashing and lautering. Now, this brewery was replicating 19th century American brewing, but these ideas probably came from Europe. How else are they going to get water to a specific temperature before the invention of thermometers?
  - emtel 5y ago
    This is false - boiling the wort is used in probably 99% of commercial and home brewing.
    - zabzonk 5y ago
      Yes, but not all of the water - you would be talking about many gallons.
      - emtel 5y ago
        Please consult literally any intro guide to home brewing. They all call for boiling all of the water. I have brewed dozens of batches of beer at home and always boil all of it. I don't know as much about commercial brewing but I've never heard or read of partial boiling as a common technique in commercial brewing. (There is such a thing as "raw ale", but the fact that it has a special name to indicate the lack of boiling tells you it is the exception to the rule). Boiling is also not only about sterilization. It is also fundamental to the character of the beer. It causes isomerization of the alpha acids in hops which is responsible for the bitter flavors in beer. It also denatures proteins in the wort resulting in clearer beer. See: https://www.love2brew.com/Articles.asp?ID=573 https://www.love2brew.com/Articles.asp?ID=573

Funny that they're saying this now because fermented drinks used to protect people from health issues when the water supply was not clean enough to drink.

by ct0 5y ago

Funny that they're saying this now because fermented drinks used to protect people from health issues when the water supply was not clean enough to drink.

qwytw 5y ago

This is myth which was debunked countless times already, people always drank water (even in the middle ages).

tsol 5y ago
Yes. There's a reason every early human civilization was located near a body of water. Water is necessary for humans. Clean water. Alcohol also doesn't have a significant disinfecting property until at least 30% ABV. And it wasn't until the middle ages that distilled alcohols became common

mywittyname 5y ago

With beer, this was because the brewer needed to boil the water used in order to kill off any microbes which would compete with the yeast, or it would go "off". It's a very important step for brewing beer. Then the beer would be stored in barrels/casks to help reduce the chance of introducing further microbes, plus the use of preservatives like hops to help keep it longer. With wine, people generally mashed the grapes immediately after picking to ensure that the yeast took hold before any harmful bacteria did. Then followed the same process of barrelling it to prevent other microbes from getting in. People also learned that added sugar served to further preserve wines that would be stored for longer periods of time. If people would have boiled their drinking water, it would have been safe to drink.

Mikeb85 5y ago
> If people would have boiled their drinking water, it would have been safe to drink. For a limited time. The live cultures and then alcohol in fermented drinks keep the bad bacteria at bay. Keep in mind in the past, not everyone had a convenient source of heat in their homes.
zabzonk 5y ago
> With beer, this was because the brewer needed to boil the water No, they didn't - you do not need (or should) boil the water. If you did boil it, you would then need to let it cool down before adding the yeast. Home-brew kits suggest using a fairly small amount of hot water to disolve the malt extract, and to get it up to fermentation temperature. Beer is safer to drink because the yeast out-competes pathogens, and because it causes a pH change that inhibits and/or kills them. Speaking as an ex microbiologist.
- mywittyname 5y ago
  I once toured a microbrewery which produces beers the same way they did in colonial times. This involved pumping the water up ~20 feet into a copper kettle situated above an elevated brick furnace. The water was boiled, then gravity fed down canals via ladles to other kettles for mashing and lautering. Now, this brewery was replicating 19th century American brewing, but these ideas probably came from Europe. How else are they going to get water to a specific temperature before the invention of thermometers?
- emtel 5y ago
  This is false - boiling the wort is used in probably 99% of commercial and home brewing.
  - zabzonk 5y ago
    Yes, but not all of the water - you would be talking about many gallons.
    - emtel 5y ago
      Please consult literally any intro guide to home brewing. They all call for boiling all of the water. I have brewed dozens of batches of beer at home and always boil all of it. I don't know as much about commercial brewing but I've never heard or read of partial boiling as a common technique in commercial brewing. (There is such a thing as "raw ale", but the fact that it has a special name to indicate the lack of boiling tells you it is the exception to the rule). Boiling is also not only about sterilization. It is also fundamental to the character of the beer. It causes isomerization of the alpha acids in hops which is responsible for the bitter flavors in beer. It also denatures proteins in the wort resulting in clearer beer. See: https://www.love2brew.com/Articles.asp?ID=573 https://www.love2brew.com/Articles.asp?ID=573