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General Science => General Science => Topic started by: SpaceShouldBeMilitarized on 19/11/2010 04:15:53

Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: SpaceShouldBeMilitarized on 19/11/2010 04:15:53
As a historian, I do not understand how alcohol was invented.  It is such a complicated process and it makes me wonder how far back it goes and how it was invented.  Anybody have an answer? 
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: Bored chemist on 19/11/2010 06:50:05
" It is such a complicated process "
Someone left some fruit juice in a bucket and it fermented.
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: Don_1 on 19/11/2010 09:08:51
I'd go along with that BC.

You can try it for yourself. Get a bunch of grapes, or some other soft fruit with a 'bloom' on the skin, crush the fruit and put it in a fermentation chamber. It will soon begin to ferment. That 'bloom' on the skin is naturally occurring yeast.

I have done this myself in the long distant past.
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: JP on 19/11/2010 14:16:43
Yeast probably "invented" alcohol long before humans got involved. 
 
I second what Don said about it being easy.  I'm drinking a pint of homemade IPA right now.   [;D]
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: peppercorn on 19/11/2010 14:24:40
I second what Don said about it being easy.  I'm drinking a pint of homemade IPA right now.   [;D]
Nice one! What, er, 'recipe' do you use?  [:)]
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: BenV on 19/11/2010 15:00:18
" It is such a complicated process "
Someone left some fruit juice in a bucket and it fermented.
I don't think you even need a bucket!

A very fond memory from my childhood is watching the drunken animal scene in "Animals are beautiful people".  Various animals (I remember monkeys & a warthog, I'm sure there were more) dine out on fallen fruit that's had chance to start fermenting.  Cue predictable drunken monkey antics.  Alcohol is very energy dense, so I suppose it's a good thing to consume if you are safe enough from predators.
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: imatfaal on 19/11/2010 15:08:50
Just found the clip - had never seen it before, thanks for mentioning it.  Hilarious; I know we shouldn't anthropomorphize - but great tv!

Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: JP on 20/11/2010 03:35:22
Nice one! What, er, 'recipe' do you use?  [:)]

This one was 100% Maris Otter malt as well as magnum, amarillo and northern brewer hops.  It ended up at 7% ABV, but a bit to sweet and not hoppy enough for my tastes.  Unfortunately, the only bottles I can find in Singapore to package it in are 22 oz.  I think for the sake of my liver, the next beer will probably be 5% ABV max.
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: Geezer on 20/11/2010 05:46:02
This one was 100% Maris Otter malt as well as magnum, amarillo and northern brewer hops.  It ended up at 7% ABV, but a bit to sweet and not hoppy enough for my tastes.  Unfortunately, the only bottles I can find in Singapore to package it in are 22 oz.  I think for the sake of my liver, the next beer will probably be 5% ABV max.

A just opened a wee bottle o'the 9.8 av beeen brooin' an it seems tae hae a bit o'a kick.

Snork, snork, snork, snork............
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: yor_on on 06/12/2010 18:06:57
It was a popular, well by me it was, nature program on the telly showing animals having a good time eating fermented fruit from some tree, I think in Africa? It seems that every year they come together, knowing when it's time, to eat there :) Maybe some prehistoric human saw them and wanted to party too?
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: maffsolo on 06/12/2010 22:29:29
It was a popular, well by me it was, nature program on the telly showing animals having a good time eating fermented fruit from some tree, I think in Africa? It seems that every year they come together, knowing when it's time, to eat there :) Maybe some prehistoric human saw them and wanted to party too?

Is that how Orangutans got their name?

The drunken monkey hypothesis: the study of fruit-eating animals could lead to an evolutionary understanding of human alcohol abuse (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1134/is_10_113/ai_n8640726/)
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: yor_on on 07/12/2010 19:32:31
See, were all a bunch of, sometimes, reformed drunkards :)
Title: How old is alcohol?
Post by: Don_1 on 08/12/2010 07:17:44
See, were all a bunch of, sometimes, reformed drunkards :)

How dare you sir! I am not reformed at all. (https://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freesmileys.org%2Fsmileys%2Fsmiley-eatdrink048.gif&hash=1a29116b950efd292558fd33415610ec) (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)