Beer - origins

Did you know that beer has been argued to be responsible for humanity's ability to build civilizations and develor technology ? When people of the ancient world realised they could make bread and beer from grain, they stoped roaming and settled down to cultivate cereals in recognisable communities.

Beer is one of the world's oldest prepared beverages, with history dating back to 6000 bc and was recorded in written history of ancient Egypt, ancient Sumeria and Mesapotamia. Originally it was made from barley - it was crushed, mixed with water, and dried into cakes. When broken up and mixed with water, the cakes gave an extract that was fermented by microorganisms accumulated on the surfaces of fermenting vessels. A Prayer to Ninkasi also known as the "Hymn to ninkasi" from the earliest Sumerian culture writings serves as both, a prayer as well as a recipt to remember the brewing process of beer in a culture with few literate people.

Ninkasi, you are the one

You are the one who holds with both hands the great sweet wort...

Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the filtered beer of the collector vat,

It is the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.

There are 3 basic types of beer beverages:

Ale - commonly defined by the strain of yeast used and the fermenting temperature. The important distinction for ales is that they are fermented at higher temperatures and thus ferment more quickly than lagers.

Lager - Lager is the English name for cool fermenting beers of Central European origin. The name lager comes from the German lagern for "to store", as brewers around Bavaria stored beer in cool cellars and caves during the warm summer months.

Colour - Beer colour is determined by the malt. The most common colour is a pale amber produced from using pale malts. Pale lager and pale ale are terms used for beers made from malt dried with coke. Coke was first used for roasting malt in 1642, but it was not until around 1703 that the term pale ale was used.

Personaly my favorite are lagers. They also are the most commonly consumed beers in the world

As almost any substance containing carbohydrates can naturally undergo fermentation it is likely thet beer was independently invented among various cultures throughout the world. In ancient Mesopotamia, clay tablets indicate that brewing was a fairly well respected occupation, and that the majority of brewers were women. During the Middle Ages, the monastic orders preserved brewing as a craft. The Industrial Revolution brought the mechanization of brewing. Brewing in the 21st century is a large-scale industry. Modern breweries use stainless-steel equipment and computer-controlled automated operations, and they package beer in metal casks, glass bottles, aluminum cans, and plastic containers. Beers are now exported worldwide and are produced under license in foreign countries.

Few questions to sharpen your imagination:

1. How many different kinds of beer have you drunk?

2. What do you think of the impact of alcoholic beverages upon the civilizational development of society?

3. Alcohol as a personal relation breakthrough - true or false?