# Beer in the Old West **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 19, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-in-the-old-west/196097 "2003-08-19T01:45:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-in-the-old-west/196097/21 "2003-09-01T22:44:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bruce\_Daddy \* > \*\*Parlay voo say what? Do I need to start another thread? \*\* Nah, I’ll just keep hijacking this one. Some generations ago, it was not uncommon for women to drink beer after giving birth in the belief that the beer helped them produce better milk. A barrel of strong beer (groaning ale) would be put aside in preparation for the birth, and as the beer may have been cleaner than the local water, the baby would be bathed in some of it, and mom (and maybe the midwife too) would drink the rest. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-in-the-old-west/196097/22 "2003-09-02T01:10:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Devil’s Grandmother \* > \*\*Nah, I’ll just keep hijacking this one. > Some generations ago, it was not uncommon for women to drink beer after giving birth in the belief that the beer helped them produce better milk. \*\* Actually, I read something similar as advice to nursing mothers. A nursing mom needs lots of liquids, and needs to relax. Sipping a beer helps with both. Beer can also be a source of vitamins (the B group, I believe). Obviously moderation is in order, but having one a day may well be beneficial. The washing-in-beer bit I have never heard of before; I would think it would result in a rather sticky baby! ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Daddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Bruce\_Daddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Daddy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-in-the-old-west/196097/23 "2003-09-02T14:03:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MLS \* > \*\* I would think it would result in a rather sticky baby! \*\* But tasty! But thanks for the info. Breasts and beer in the same thread is never a bad thing. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-in-the-old-west/196097/24 "2003-09-02T14:47:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by slipster \* > **There were definitely a lot of saloons in some towns. Some Chambers of Commerce like to cite statistics about this when talking about their town’s frontier heritage. Bryan, Texas comes to mind as an example. I recall reading in a brochure once that there had been something like sixty taverns in a five block area, or something similarly startling.** I wonder if you’re not thinking of [Calvert, Texas](http://www.rtis.com/reg/calvert/) just up the road from Bryan. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-in-the-old-west/196097/25 "2003-09-02T15:28:58Z")
In his books, anthropologist Marvin Harris notes that one of the most efficient ways to get your corn to market in the Old Days was to first convert it into whiskey – higher price per pound transported. I suspect a lot of farmers (especially in the MidWest, which grew a lot of corn) did the math. Whiskey keeps better than corn, too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beer-in-the-old-west/196097.md?page=1)