A Little History For Ya

The History of Beer- Part 1

Ancient Beer



Beer has been around a long, long time, going as far back as 6,000 BC when ale style beer was brewed in the region known as the cradle of life, Sumeria, and in China. They liked the stuff so much that they have a beer Goddess, Ninkasi, and many ancient tablets have been found containing references and or recipes for beer. In ancient times, and all the way up to the Renaissance, beer carried religious connotations and was mostly brewed by women. For example, it was brewed by priestesses' in Sumeria and later in Greece where Dionysus was the Goddess of beer. In Egypt it was used as part of the sacrament. Later it would be improved by in Christian monasteries.

It is widely believed that beer was discovered accidentally. The story goes that people ate aged, moist grains and soon after experienced a "euphoric" feeling. Soon after some people started storing baked grains in water and voila, beer was born. Beer remained popular through the middle ages as a favorite drink in areas where wine could not be made or was too expensive. It was also viewed in some areas as a safer alternative to water because drinkers knew that the water used in the brewing process had been purified through boiling (or at least that was a really good excuse to drink a beer with every meal). In the ancient times beer was considered by the Egyptians and Greeks to be part of a healthy lifestyle (in moderation of course) and was enjoyed by people in every social class.

Stay posted for Part 2 - Beer in the middle ages!