3 ms·
That's mostly a myth. Also alcohol in beer does nothing to 'clean' the water (how would that even make any sense?) it's the boiling that kills the bacteria, pa
by qwytw 3y ago
That's mostly a myth.
Also alcohol in beer does nothing to 'clean' the water (how would that even make any sense?) it's the boiling that kills the bacteria, parasites etc. (and people have understood that boiling makes water safer for thousands of years if not more).
- ben_w 3y ago> how would that even make any sense? Because alcohol is toxic. This is also why there's a maximum alcohol concentration above which you need distillation: the alcohol kills off the yeast that makes it. 2% may not be enough kill off everything (I'd be surprised if it was), but in the absence of better training on my part (I'm not a biologist), I would assume it would still make a difference.
- qwytw 3y ago> I would assume it would still make a difference. Alcohol and low pH might significantly slow down the risk of bacteria spreading. Which is relevant if you want to store. Obviously it's not really that relevant if were talking about making the water safe to drink in the first place because boiling is much more effective. And again the claim that medieval people drank beer all the time because all the water they had access to is dirty is a myth.. Ensuring access to clean water was something medieval people took very seriously with very severe punishments for those who polluted or tried poisoning sources of drinkable water.