While people in north Wales agreed with their west Walian counterparts in identifying landscape and mining as the most important elements of their heritage, and picked a miner's lamp and a beer barrel as objects that should be preserved for the future.

BBC: NEWS | UK | Wales | Identity quest for Wales' regions

The Landhotel Moorhoff in Franking, Austria and the Beer Spa Bahenec in Pisek, Czech Republic, offer similar bathing experiences, but replace the traditional tub with a beer-style barrel.

BBC: Bathe at a beer spa

In American brewing's early days, a barrel of whiskey brought more at market than the same of beer, so for farmers liquefying their assets, so to speak, stronger stuff made more sense.

WSJ: The Rye Time for a New Beer Style

Until the mid-19th century, beer was produced locally on an artisanal scale, and consumed un-pasteurized from the barrel.

FORBES: Coolest Beers

As the thorough and at times interactive tour moves up each floor, visitors learn about the beer's state-of-the-art brewing process, its "cooperage" (barrel-making) and how it's transported to more than 150 countries.

CNN: 10 tours for every kind of drinker

We round off the visit tasting a couple of barrel-aged beers, the 2008 edition of 25 Dodici (25th December, their Christmas beer) and two barrels of Sedici Gradi (Sixteen Degrees, their strong, dark barley wine).

FORBES: Birra del Borgo: Coming for Your Taste Buds