Jul 31, 2009
In the Fall of 1814, a tidal wave of beer washed down the streets of London after the world’s biggest beer barrel ruptured. Apart from the brewer’s shattered ego, the wave of beer killed 9 (one due to alcohol poisoning) and left several buildings collapsed:
This peculiar history begins with a party at the Meux’s Brewery where a grand dinner had been organized to celebrate the construction of a giant vat capable of holding 3555 barrels – 610,000 litres – of beer. Being 22 feet tall and having a diameter of 60 feet the vat was in fact so large that the dinner was celebrated within the vat itself which held a staggering 200 guests, the goal being to outdo a competitor who constructed a vat in which he managed to fit 100 guests.