This is an interesting piece of history I stumbled upon regarding lager beer in England. In the 19th century, there was a weekly publication called “Replies,” subtitled “A Weekly Journal of Question and Answer.” I don’t know how long it was published, but the one I came across is for Saturday, June 21, 1879. It apparently cost twopence and new issues came out every Saturday. As far as I can tell, the majority of the publication consisted of people writing in with questions, and the editors answering them, although there were also sections of current events going on, specific columns, and, naturally, ads.

The question I came across, you’ve probably guessed, was “How Is Lager Beer Made?” The query was made by someone named Edith.

So there answer also referenced her initial query, which I managed to track down. That questions, the same question, with a less-satisfying answer (to the editors, at least) was given on May 24, 1879, roughly a month before the above answer.