On October 17, 1814, in London's St. Giles parish, possibly the greatest beer disaster happened. The Meux and Company Brewery had a huge vat that exploded. After this vat ruptured, it caused other vats around to lose their integrity and they also gave out.
This caused a wave of beer, of about 323,000 gallons to rush into the streets. (By way of comparison, one batch of home brew is normally 5 gallons, and that fills about 24 bomber sized bottles (22 oz). This would be the equivalent of 1,550,400 bomber sized bottles (or about 3 million 12 ounce bottles) rushing through the streets.
The wave of beer destroyed two homes and crumbled the wall of a local pub. The wave killed 9 people, 8 of them from drowning, the other from alcohol poisoning.
The vat itself was 22 feet tall, and held 3,555 barrels of beer. Securing hoops failed, which caused the vat to break.
Since then, Meux and Company was sold several times, and eventually was acquired by Carlsberg - Tetley.
About the beer:
A traditional style canned ale with a full-bodied hoppy flavour and a refreshing crispness on the palate.
Tetleys bitter is available in a regular or widget can, and also on draught. I'm not sure of it's American availability. Although it appears to be available at Archer Liquors.
So, for the 9 people who died, have a beer that is a distant bastard grandchild of the beer that killed them. Do NOT pour out a few drops for your homies with this one... that's how they died, and that'd just be insulting.
Christ rebukes your shallow pleasures.
ReplyDeleteNot too sure about that, Deaner. I'd say Bud Lite is more of a rebuke from God than a beer flood that happened almost 200 years ago.
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One died of alcohol poisoning, presumably trying to drink up the flood. And of the 8 who drowned, I wonder how many got out to take a leak and then got back in?
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