Beer, if drunk with moderation...(Spurious Quotation)

Quotation: "Beer, if drunk with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes health."

Variations: "Beer, if drank [sic] with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes health."

Sources consulted:

1. Founders Online
2. Thomas Jefferson retirement papers

Earliest known appearance in print: 2004^[1]

Earliest known appearance in print, attributed to Thomas Jefferson: see above

Comments: This quotation has not been found in the writings of Thomas Jefferson.  It is most likely a corruption of Jefferson's comment to James Madison, "[Rational society] informs the mind, sweetens the temper, chears our spirits, and promotes health."^[2]

- Anna Berkes, 7/2/14