A Brief History Of Beer

While there is no definitive point in history to which we can trace the origin of beer, it is widely accepted that beer dates back to 8000 BC, around the same time that agriculture was being developed. In various parts of the World, native grain crops such as corn (maize), wheat, barley or rice were grown and harvested as staple foods but it is suspected that beer, not bread, was first to evolve. As many things, beer happened by accident. One theory is that harvested grain, likely barley or wheat, was left out in a bucket, through periods of rain and sun, and that through the divine confluence of the breakdown of natural sugars in the grain, rain water, natural airborne yeast and the proper conditions to cause fermentation, beer was born.

If this theory is correct, than the first beer was of the Lambic variety, not Ale, as is often claimed. Of course, Ale beers would evolve along with bread making, as partially risen and baked bread (partially baked as to not kill off active yeast), would be left to soak and further ferment, creating sweet, porridge-like, brews that were typically sipped through reeds.

Beer is referenced in ancient writings from Iraq as far back as 6000BC. It is also the first documented recipe, in the form of a song called “The Hymn To Ninkasi” from Ancient Sumeria. In China, a beer-like brew known as “kui” dates back to around 5000BC.  References to beer appear in Iran, Syria, Mesopotamia, Babylon and Egypt. Evidence suggests the Egyptians taught the Greeks how to brew beer, although, at the time, the Greeks were already astute at making wine and attempted to introduce viniculture everywhere they went. While it is likely that beer was developed independently across many cultures, from around 3500-300BC, we can begin to trace it’s migration through Asia, Europe and Africa.

The Introduction of Hops

It wasn’t until around 770AD, with the rise of Christianity, that beer brewing became a trade. In fact, Monasteries were among the first organized beer brewing facilities. Hops were introduced as a flavoring and preservative agent as early as the 9^th century although it wasn’t widely used until the Germans perfected the process around the 13^th century. The

hopped beer, which lasted longer before spoiling, began to be exported and the Germans were also the first to develop medium sized brewing facilities which eventually also began to appearing in Holland and England.

An early distinction was that hopped varieties were called “beer” whereas unhopped varieties were called “ale”. Of course, as the use of hops became the norm, the word “ale” came to typify “strong” beer or beer with higher alcohol content.

Modern Beer

The Industrial Revolution brought about significant improvements and changes in the brewing process. The use of malt, the thermometer, the hydrometer, refrigeration, automatic bottling and, of course, pasteurization invented by Louis Pasteur in 1857, all contributed to modern beer brewing.

Lager beer was developed in the 19^th century by Seydlmayr in Germany and, in turn, by Groll in Bavaria, to become the most widely brewed, distributed and consumed type of beer in the World. Today, Ale and Lager are the main types of beer, each with several sub types or varieties. There are also Lambic beers still brewed in Belgium and Mixed beers which borrow from both Ale and Lager to round out the 4 main types of beer.