We often see signs warning us of wine on the road but spare a thought for the people of St Giles in London, this week in 1814. It was the day of the London Beer Flood. The French sounding brewery, Meux and Company, had installed a 22-foot high wooden fermentation tank, held together with huge iron rings, storing around 3,500 barrels of brown porter ale. One of the iron rings snapped, the tank ruptured and a torrent of hot fermenting ale was released. This not only caused the rear brewery wall to collapse but the force of it blasted several more vats open. Around 320,000 gallons of beer were released in a 15 foot high wave which passed through the streets, collecting debris as it went. Basements and houses collapsed and, sadly, some 8 people were killed. The free beer was scooped up and at least one person later died from alcoholic poisoning. The incident began the phasing out of wooden formation casks which were replaced by lined concrete vats. #beer #history #thelocalbuzzmagazine #freemagazine #freemagazines https://www.instagram.com/p/B3xNWkdoh1b/?igshid=1jbj9ih36wiuv