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Egg in beer refers to the practice, literally or figuratively, of cracking a raw egg into a glass of beer. The term is used metaphorically, commonly as "what do you want, egg in your beer?" implying that the listener already has something good but is asking for undeservedly more.
Literal
In England, where the consumption of the egg in beer is centuries old, a mix of beer, raw egg, honey and other herbs could be prescribed to the sick. Posset, famously consumed in Macbeth and The Merry Wives of Windsor, consists partly in eggs whipped with cream, sugar, and beer or wine. Syllabub is made by mixing egg whites cream and wine. The egg also clears out cloudier beers.
According to the Elizabethan theories, out of the four fundamentals characters (sanguine, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic), eggs are sanguine and beer is choleric.
In 1915, industry journal The Mixer and Server noted a Seattle case where a judge decreed that an egg, once cracked into a glass of beer, qualified as a drink and was not in violation of ordinances against giving free food in bars.
A 1939 article in Printing magazine notes that Pennsylvania State Brewers' Association had launched a public-relations campaign to "sell the idea that eggs and beer make a pleasing combination." Other Pennsylvania sources refers to this as a "miner's breakfast".
Since 1999, Giang Cafe (located in Hanoi, Vietnam) has served an egg beer consisting of beer mixed with whipped egg yolks—a variant on traditional Vietnamese egg coffee.
Metaphorical
Sources differ as to the origin of the colloquialism, with some stating it dates to World War II while others speculate that it dates to the 19th century. However, a 1933 article in the Stevens Indicator, mentioning an employee who had not received a raise, notes: "What do you expect, Carl? Egg in your beer?"
Flips
Mixing beer, an egg and a liquor is called a "flip". According to The Whistler's lead bartender in Chicago, Marina Holter, flips date back to as far as the 1690s. Some assume that the liquor kills the salmonella risks linked to raw eggs consumption. It may also be a revisited version of the classic raw egg+alcohol consumed across ages and cultures (and referred to as "Fallujah omelets" in the series Orange Is the New Black).
Products
In 2021, for Easter, Cadbury partnered with Goose Island to release a Creme Egg-flavored beer.
References
- Joseph Melillo; Edward M. Melillo (2005). American Slang: Cultural Language Guide to Living in the USA. Mottobene Inc. pp. 106–. ISBN 978-1-59404-017-7.
- ^ Hezel, Anna (6 July 2016). "A Brief History of Drinking Raw Eggs, from 'Macbeth' to 'Orange Is the New Black'". Extra Crispy. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017.
- "Egg in Beer is Considered Drink". The Mixer and Server. XXIV (10). Hotel and Restaurant Employee's International Alliance and Bartenders' International League of America.: 49 1915.
- Printing. 1939.
- Jack Smiles (10 May 2005). "Ee-Yah": The Life and Times of Hughie Jennings, Baseball Hall of Famer. McFarland. pp. 9–. ISBN 978-0-7864-8428-7.
- Mark A. Noon (23 November 2011). Yuengling: A History of America's Oldest Brewery. McFarland. pp. 33–. ISBN 978-0-7864-8659-5.
- "Hanoi egg beer: the frothy Vietnamese cocktail that's hard to beat". South China Morning Post. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
- Jenny La Sala (15 February 2013). Comes A Soldier's Whisper: A Collection of Wartime Letters with Reflection and Hope for the Future. Trafford Publishing. pp. 93–. ISBN 978-1-4669-7687-0.
- Alan Axelrod (20 July 2011). The Cheaper the Crook, the Gaudier the Patter: Forgotten Hipster Lines, Tough Guy Talk, and Jive Gems. Skyhorse Publishing. pp. 112–. ISBN 978-1-62873-017-3.
- Stevens Indicator ... 1933.
- "Beer flips are the beer-and-whole egg cocktail—wait, hear me out". The Takeout. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- "Cadbury Creme Eggs Now Come in Beer Form". Food & Wine. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
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