Days of the Beer, September 21

The beer for today is Farsons Lacto Milk Stout.

On September 21, 1995, a miracle might have happened. Before dawn on that day, an Hindu worshiper at a temple in New Delhi made a milk offering to a statue of Lord Ganesha.

When a spoonful of milk was brought to the trunk of the statue, it would disappear; as though the statue was drinking the milk. This became known as the Hindu Milk Miracle. However, it wasn't just confined to the one statue in New Delhi; when word spread of the miracle, people tried it at other temples with other statues, and it was found that almost every Hindu statue, that day, was thirsty for milk. The miracles happened as far away as Britain, Canada, Dubai, and Nepal.

That day, sales of milk jumped 30% in New Delhi.

Scientists in India, attempting to debunk the miracle, dyed some milk, and found that it settled at the base of the statue. They said it happened due to capillary action, and that the surface tension of the milk was causing it to be drawn up to the statue and appear like it was being drank.

Oddly, the miracle mostly ended before the end of the day (most had stopped by noon), but some temples reported it going on for a couple days after. All of the milk activity had ended by October.

As to the beer:

Farsons Lacto is made in Malta.

Historically, the style “Lacto Milk Stout” was created on the British Island to emphasize the “nutritional value” of beer. At that time {Industrial Revolution in Europe in the 19th century as well as both World Wars in the 20th century} adults were looking for a sweet, energizing beer to compensate for almost daily food shortages. Hence, breweries started to add “lactose” {milk sugar} to their stout recipe. As Lactose is unfermentable by ale yeast the resulting stout was rather low in alcohol by definition [with a tiny touch of sweetness}. The style was born!

The very strong historic connection between England and Malta {background: The Maltese Islands are located at a very strategically important place in the Mediterranean linking Southern Europe with Africa and the Middle East . When the French emperor Napoleon invaded Malta in 1798 the British consequently liberated it in 1800. In 1964 Malta became independent from UK.} brought this new style to Malta via the British trading company “Simonds of Reading, Berkshire UK”. In 1927 the Maltese brewery Farsons was founded . Shortly after World War II they started to brew their Farsons Lacto Milk Stout, which has become a classic in this category.

So, for those Hindu's and their milk drinking statues, have yourself a milk beer.