History of Beer
Beer is one of the oldest beverages which dates as far back as the 6th millennium BC. The presence of beer is recorded in the written history of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia.
The earliest Sumerian writings also contain references to beer. A prayer to the goddess Ninkasi known as “The Hymn to Ninkasi” serves as both a prayer as well as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people.
As almost any substance containing carbohydrates, mainly sugar or starch, can be fermented, it is therefore likely that beer-like beverages were independently invented among various cultures throughout the world. The earliest known chemical evidence of beer dates to circa 3500-3100 BC from the site of Godin Tepe in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran.
Beer was spread through Europe by Germanic and Celtic tribes as far back as 3000 BC, though it was mainly brewed on a domestic scale. The product that the early Europeans drank might not be recognized as beer by most people today. The early European beers might contain, together with the basic starch source, fruits, honey, numerous types of plants, spices and also substances like narcotic drugs. What they did not contain then was hops, hop was a later addition – first mentioned in Europe around 822 by a Carolingian Abbot and again in 1067 by Abbess Hildegard of Bingen.
Beer produced before the Industrial Revolution continued to be made and sold on a domestic scale, although by the 7th century AD, beer was also being produced and sold by European monasteries. During the Industrial Revolution, the production of beer moved from artisanal manufacture to industrial manufacture, and domestic manufacture ceased to be significant by the end of the 19th century. The development of hydrometers and thermometers changed brewing by allowing the brewer more control of the process and greater knowledge of the results.
Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. More than 133 billion liters (35 billion gallons) are sold per year-producing total global revenues of $294.5 billion (£147.7 billion) in 2006.
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