American history is replete with alcohol lore. Sea-going pilgrims needed their beer for the trip across the ocean to protect from microbes in their freshwater stores. Before they became (in)famous for disappearing completely, Roanoke colony was brewing with corn by 1584. Our founding fathers and mothers, including Benjamin Franklin, preserved their fruit supplies by converting them to vinegars and alcohols (and combining them!). It is said that John Adams drank a tankard-full of hard cider nearly daily; he lived to the ripe age of 90!
