Ale to the selling of beer labeled "strong beer" that had actually been diluted with small beer. In medieval times, ale may have been safer to drink than most water (the germ theory of disease was unheard of, and the sterilizing properties of boiling unknown); however, there is no period evidence that people were aware of this nor that they chose to drink ale for this reason. The alcohol, hops, and some ingredients in gruit used to preserve some ales may have contributed to their lower load of pathogens, when compared to water. However, ale was largely safer due to the
Adam S. Veige Adam S. Veige Adam S. Veige is an associate professor of Chemistry at the University of Florida, his research focuses on the usage of inorganic compounds. Veige received a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from Cornell University in 2003 under the direction of Peter T. Wolczanski. He pursued postdoctoral research under the direction of Daniel G. Nocera at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Veige joined the faculty of the University of Florida as an assistant professor of chemistry (inorganic chemistry) in 2004. In 2010, Veige received the Alfred P. Sloan fellowship award, the only researcher to be so honored in Florida in