Alcoholic drinks in China the White Snake as the substance which forces the snake to reveal her true form. The drink was thought to prevent disease and misfortune (particularly snake bites and digestive worms) and to promote health; although modern Chinese authorities discourage the practice, it is still legally available for consumption. Alcoholic drinks in China Alcoholic drinks in China seem to precede the earliest stages of Chinese civilization. They include rice and grape wine, beer, and various liquors including "baijiu", the most-consumed distilled spirit in the world. ("jiǔ") is the Chinese character referring to any drink containing appreciable quantities of ethanol. Its Old
Barley wine Barley wine Barley wine is a style of strong ale of between 6-11% or 8-12% alcohol by volume. It is also sometimes written as one word, barleywine. In Ancient Armenia, a style of fermented grain beverage was referred to as "κρίθινος οἶνος" ("krithinos oinos") - "barley wine", by the Greek historian Xenophon, who mentioned to have experienced it, while being in Armenia, in his work "Anabasis" and Polybius in his work "The Histories". These barley wines would be dissimilar to modern examples as their mention predates the use of hops (a key component in modern barley wines) by several centuries.