Things I learned at Brew U.

Things I learned at Shenandoah Brewing's Brewing University:

• The word "bridal" has its origins in the Old English terms for "bride's ale," for the ale that a bride made and served her wedding guests;
• Sake is technically a beer, since it is fermented from a cooked starch;
• Why do some like their peas porridge in the pot nine days old? Fermentation, that's why (mmm... pea beer...);
• In times past, a contaminant was sometimes added to jumpstart the fermentation; for example, a dead animal might be tossed in the brew;
• Germans stored beer in caves (lagering) resulting in the lager yeast, which thrived in the cooler temperatures, being naturally selected;
  
• English ladies-in-waiting were given a one-gallon per day ale allowance for breakfast;
  
• Why did the Pilgrims land when they did? They were running out of beer.