In England during the 10th century King Edward set a limit of only one tavern per village and had nails placed inside drinking horns to mark the maximum quantity of beer allowed. It is from here that the expression PIN DRINKING (drinking up to the nail) was born and it was soon used to mean ‘to drink very much’.
Historians say that Christianity softened the violent character of the nordic peoples but nothing could reduce their insatiable thirst. Probably for this reason the monasteries started producing beer. They weren't able to moderate the consumption but they did improve the quality a great deal.
From the pulpit of his little baroque church in Bavaria, father Schroll was preaching the virtues of continence. ‘Whoever is used to drinking a liter of beer at the day, drink no more; for those who drink two liters should not deviate from their custom, but those who like me, are in the habit of drinking six liters of beer per day, praise the Lord together with me for the bounty of this drink’.
