The world is full of natural disasters. There are earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, blizzards, tornados, volcanos, famine, drought, landslides, floods, and many more.
Floods? Sometimes, they are not so natural.
Such would be the case on this date, October 17, 1914. That is when the London Beer Flood occurred.
Yes. The Beer Flood.
A large vat at the Veux & Company Brewery burst. As a result, the streets of London were flooded with over 300,000 gallons of porter ale.
Although it sounds somewhat comical, it turned out tragically. Eight people were killed immediately. A ninth died from alcohol poisoning.
In the annals of history, there are events that stand out. Sometimes, they draw our attention for their sheer audacity. Other times, we notice them because of their tragic consequences.
Well, the great beer flood that engulfed the city of London in the 19th century certainly fills the bill on both counts.
It is a tale filled with unbelievable events, as an enormous wave of beer swept through the streets, leaving chaos and devastation in its wake. I suppose it gives new meaning to the block party.
But first. To understand how such a bizarre incident could occur, we have to look at the origins of the beer flood.
The Meux and Company Brewery,
Hold on. Sidebar here. Out of sheer curiosity, I had to look up the pronunciation of Meux. It sounds sort of like a sick cow who can barely get out the whole “moo.” If you want to list, copy this link ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwbbKFN-nwo ) into your browser. I can’t imagine the street talk after the accident occurred. A lot of Londoners were walking around mooing.
Anyway.
The Meux and Company Brewery, located in the heart of London, was a bustling hub of activity in the early 1800s. This brewery, like many others of its time, relied on massive vats to ferment and store their beer. These vats, made of wood and held together by iron rings, were prone to defects and weaknesses over time. This sounds like big trouble to me.
So clearly, one of these big vats had weakened. And then all heck broke loose. Well, beer broke loose. The vat burst open and the force of the explosion was tremendous, causing a chain reaction that led to the rupture of several other vats. Within moments, an enormous wave of beer was unleashed. It crashed through the brewery walls and flooded the surrounding area.
It wasn’t just some gutter flood around people’s ankles. No. The beer wave, estimated to be 15 feet high, surged through the streets of St. Giles, which was a densely populated neighborhood in London. Buildings were demolished, and people were swept off their feet by the powerful current. Houses were blown out. People were trapped. Drowned. Killed.
The Meux Brewery faced legal repercussions for the disaster, but ultimately, no one was held accountable.
These days we have a much different story about beer. Anheuser-Busch Inc. is the largest beer company in the United States. In 2021, the company had annual revenue of $54.3 billion. You know the brands. Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, and Busch. However, the top-producing single brewery in the United States is Yuengling in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. In 2018, they produced over 2.5 million barrels. There are 31 gallons in one barrel. It takes about 80 gallons to fill a standard bathtub all the way to the top.
So yeah. That’s a lot of beer.
But I don’t think we have to worry about beer floods.
That’s one thing we can cross off our lists.
Unless you count the recent wine flooding disaster in Portugal when 600,000 gallons of red wine flowed through the streets after a tank burst at a distillery. In September.
Okay. Keep worrying.
“”””””””””””””””
Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster, such as sudden global nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers we have not yet thought of.
— Stephen Hawking
“”””””””””””””””
Holy Heck, Stephen!
— Polly Kronenberger
“”””””””””””””””
We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.
— Carl Sagan
“”””””””””””””””
We’re already seeing it, Carl.
— Polly Kronenberger
“”””””””””””””””
Dam. The beer dam. Dam beer.
