Free (gratis) beer
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Free beer refers to beer received without cost.
History
According to the code of Hammurabi in Babylon, every temple worker in the 17th century BCE was allowed five loaves of bread and two mugs of beer.[1] In ancient Egypt, workers were allowed free beer.[2] About one-tenth of the annual holidays were devoted to drunkenness. To ensure the support of the people, the pharaohs gave them free beer.[3][4]
In 1848, possibly to avoid violent riots in Munich, free beer was offered. The unpopular king Ludwig I of Bavaria (grandfather of Ludwig II) had alienated the public through his affairs with the Irish dancer Lola Montez. An angry mob, armed with helmets, swords, halberds, and shields, stormed the armoury on Jakobplatz and marched to the royal residence, throwing window coverings. King Ludwig I, threatened, forbade shooting at his subjects. He called upon his brother Carl, popular with the people, to provide free beer to the crowds. This calmed the crowds and even prompted them to return most of the medieval weapons to the armoury.[5]
Employees of breweries used to receive a portion of the brewery's products as part of their salary, initially daily, later weekly. The amount depended on the job. This controlled consumption of the brewery's own products. This allowance also enabled free drinks for others and companies, particularly at weddings of the nobility or prominent citizens of Hanseatic cities. [6] While giving free beer to brewery employees [7] wasn't a standard practice, at least in Germany, it was often considered an employment benefit, usually limited to 40–100 litres per month. Initially, breweries only allowed consumption on-site to prevent private distribution.[8] After German laws limited alcohol consumption during work hours, or due to occupational safety regulations, most breweries instead provided employees with crates or barrels of beer to take home, also occasionally to tenants and pensioners.
Free beer as advertising
Beer is often given away free at festivals and celebrations. Companies frequently give away free beer to promote their products to the public.[9] Breweries and retailers distribute free beer to promote their products at public events targeting specific demographics, including municipal festivals, sporting and dance events, concerts, and fairs.[10][11][12]
Free beer is usually dispensed from a barrel, which is cost-effective and allows individualized pouring. At commercial events, free beer is often limited by time (e.g., 11 pm to midnight) or volume (e.g., a total of five barrels).[13]
One of the largest free beer festivals is the annual summer festival of the brewery students of the Technical University of Munich in Weihenstephan, Freising. Over 150 hectoliters of beer from over 300 breweries are given away each year.[14] Attendance is limited to students and university employees. A similar, limited attendance festival is held by the Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei in Berlin.
Free beer as a beer type
- The Stralsund-based brewery Störtebeker Braumanufaktur produces an ecological, non-alcoholic Pilsener beer called Frei-Bier with a gravity of 13%.[clarification needed][citation needed]
- The Weilheim-based brewery Waldhaus produces a filtered, alcohol-free beer called Frei Bier.[15]
Free beer recipe
The beer Vores Øl was developed under the name Free Beer in the concept of free software. However, this beer was not given away for free, but rather its recipe was published under a Creative Commons license. This allows unrestricted brewing and distribution, as well as recipe improvements. The recipe is also used in homebrewing.
See also
References
- ↑ Spode, Hasso: Warum auch der Bierrausch ein Kulturgut ist. Um nicht zu verhungern, mussten die Jäger und Sammler Landwirte und Bierbrauer werden, Neue Zürcher Zeitung August 1994.
- ↑ Die Nahrung – Täglich Freibier?, bethnahrin.de, ancient Babylonian letters volume 2, issue 67.
- ↑ Die Mumie vom Rosenheimer Lokschuppen, Bayerischer Rundfunk 7 March 2017.
- ↑ Die Münchner Bierrevolution Revolutionen rund um den Gerstensaft: Die Münchner Bierrevolution
- ↑ Münchner Bierrevolution, bier-universum.de.
- ↑ Freibier für die Geisteskranken, FAZ 15 January 2015.
- ↑ Freibier at Duden
- ↑ Vorbei mit Freibier, Süddeutsche Zeitung 17 November 2016.
- ↑ Freibier soll in die Bauwüste locken Archived 2021-11-22 at the Wayback Machine, Mittelbayerische Zeitung 4 August 2016.
- ↑ FC Bayern: 15.400 Halbe Freibier, Abendzeitung 14 September 2012.
- ↑ Im Museum gibt's bald Freibier, Hamburger Morgenpost 8 July 2016.
- ↑ Die Freibier-für-alle-Partei, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 6 December 2011.
- ↑ ballermann-happy-hour-party-plan
- ↑ Sommerfest der Braustudenten Weihenstephan 2017
- ↑ Waldhaus Bier: Frei Bier | Waldhaus – Premium-Bier aus dem Schwarzwald. Archived 2018-04-29 at the Wayback Machine Accessed on 12 April 2017.
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