Beer, What CAN'T You Do With It?

Another interesting entry from my Page-A-Day calendar email:


Childbirth Beer
Beer: just what you want when you or your loved one is going into labor. In the 1600s, midwives in England and colonial America brewed “groaning ale,” which was fermented in casks for seven to eight months and tapped when the contractions began. There’s some disagreement regarding whether the ale was intended for the woman, to ease the birthing pains, or the man, to calm his nerves. When the child was delivered, he or she was often bathed and baptized in this same beer, as it was cleaner and safer than drinking water at the time.