|
|
The History of Beer Many historians have theories that the Mesopotamians
and Sumerians were brewing beer as early as 10,000 BC. True, the product they
were enjoying would have been quite different from modern bottled varieties, it
would be similar enough to know it was the same thing. The ancient Egyptians and
the Chinese also brewed beer. Pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas, such
as the Aztecs and the Incans, brewed beer as well, but they used corn rather
than barley. Often it was the women who were the master brewers. In Babylon,
women brewers were also priestesses and had significant power in some instances.
Beer was popular with the Romans and Greeks until the popularity of wine
increased. In Rome, wine was thought of to be ambrosia from the Roman god,
Bacchus. Soon, beer became known as a barbarian drink and lost its popularity
among wealthier people. Beer was brewed in the outer regions of the Roman Empire
where wine was expensive or rare. In the dark ages, monks were the guardians of
the few books that were written on literature and science, and also the art of
beer making. They often refined the process until it came to near perfection.
Monks institutionalized the use of hops, a unique grain, as a flavoring and
preservative for the beer. But it wasn't until Louis Pasteur came along with his
discoveries that a final, important development was made in the beer brewing
process. Before pasteurization, brewers had to depend on wild, airborne yeast
for fermentation. By establishing that yeast as a living microorganism, Pasteur
led the way to the discovery for accurately controlling the conversion of sugar
to alcohol. Beer first arrived in America, carried over by the crew of
Christopher Columbus. When he and his crew landed, he observed that the natives
were making a brew of maize, which resembled English beer. Beer was a major
staple in the newly discovered land, even for the pilgrims. The pilgrims landed
at Plymouth which was further north than they had planned, partly because they
had run out of beer. Beer continued to be more popular until 1920, when the U.S.
put a set of laws known as Prohibition. Many breweries closed up or switched to
the production of soda and colas. Not everyone stopped drinking, and
gangster-controlled operations known as speakeasys were not always known for
their high-quality products. Finally in 1933, Congress passed the 21st Amendment
repealing the unpopular law. Beer quickly regained its popularity and new brands
of American beer that came after World War II were mass-produced and sometimes
lost taste. Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing, ushering in the age of
microbreweries which has now grown to thousands of different breweries. |
