But the question of the day is this- where did this wonderful elixir have its humble beginnings? Surely beer could not have simply appeared out of nowhere; or could it have? Today, I invite you to join me in a thrill ride full of inquiry, laughs, and discovery, as I present to you- The Origin of Beer.
Many people imagine the invention of beer as some dude sitting around in his house and throwing a bunch of ingredients together, letting it ferment and then enjoying the result. This is not how it happened. 11,000 years ago, in ancient Mesopotamia, humanity was made up of hunter-gatherers who had probably just learned how to create fire. There were no roads, irrigation, chariots, catapults, or any real primitive technologies at all at this point. These people didn't even know how to make bread.
Basically, these people were as ignorant as they come and without fate, our entire civilization would not have advanced. Without the magical elixir known as beer, you would not have your cell phone, your laptop computer or your I-Pod. And we feeble humans couldn't even create this magical elixer on our own either...
It was approximately 9000 B.C. The hunter-gatherers collected grains and stored them in a container. Of these grains, the most popular was what we now know to be barley. As they gathered these grains, something miraculous (to them at least) happened. Moisture found its way into the container, and these barley grains began to sprout. The sprouted barley was more tender and sweeter than the hard grains, When it sprouted, the barley produced an enzyme that converted its starch to sugar.
These primitive humans dried the sprouts to be eaten later, but sometimes the sprouts would not last, as natural yeast found its way into the container and began to cause fermentation. As more moisture appeared in the container, the liquid quickly extracted all of the enzymes and sugar and began to turn into beer. No one had tried drinking this liquid yet, as it was considered to be rotted leftovers of barley.
However, one day food was very scarce, and the people were getting hungry. They did the unimaginable and they decided to drink the "rotted barley liquid". They in turn, received a nice nutritious meal! You see, yeast reduces some indigestible and poor tasting substances in barley and increases B vitamins and amino acids. In turn, they also received something that they had never experienced before. They were buzzing!
Now the Sumerians who were living in Mesopotamia began to plant and harvest barley so that they could leave the barley out for their "beer goddess" or "goddess of brewing" to mix them another batch, not yet having discovered how this little process worked (remember, they were pretty dumb, and at this point pretty drunk too). This led to another invention that would advance civilization- bread.
Bread was actually invented so that the ingredients for beer wouldn't go bad! Bread had a much longer shelf life than the sprouted barley, and at this point the Sumerians were getting pretty efficient at producing barley- to the point that they were able to piss on themselves from drinking so much beer and still have left over ingredients. It was at this point that the Sumerians were getting old, and needed to pass the recipe for beer down to their children before the knowledge was lost.
The earliest documented appearance of beer in our history is the Hymn to Ninkasi, the goddess of beer brewing, which specifically details the recipe that was used to make this ancient beer. Bread was the main ingredient, as the transition had been made from using the grains to storing them so that they would not go bad. The alcohol had effectively killed all of their weaker brain cells, making them smart. They began to study things like mathematics, astronomy, and irrigation (which was another way to produce more grains for their beer).
The invention of bread is argued to be what allowed our civilization to both advance technologically, and in size. Beer, being the root of the invention of bread, is the mother of all invention. And people say beer makes you dumb, eh? I'll have to enjoy a good laugh the next time I hear that one as I crack open another bottle and bring myself to a higher level of intelligence.
Around 7000 B.C, in what is now known as China, the first rice beer was born. This would lead to the invention of something completely evil and incredibly horrible- Budweiser! But I guess the Chinese redeemed themselves for this god-awful creation by supplying spices to the Italian sailors which would be used to create beer's perfect partner- the pizza. Other early documented evidence of the existence of beer and its impact on society is found in Hammurabi's Code.
The Code of Hammurabi is a compilation of 282 laws that were used as the first ever written Constitution, and was used to govern both rulers and citizens alike. The code has several specific references to beer parlors, or taverns, depending on how you would like to translate it. It sentences anyone who overcharges for beer to drowning and it also sentences any High Priestess who is caught in a tavern to death by fire. I think by keeping their women sober, they kept them stupid or something like that. After all, this was before women's rights.
Here are a couple of excerpts from the Code of Hammurabi:
Law 108
If a tavern-keeper does not accept corn according to gross weight in payment of drink, but takes money, and the price of the drink is less than that of the corn, she shall be convicted and thrown into the water.
Law 109
If conspirators meet in the house of a tavern-keeper, and these conspirators are not captured and delivered to the court, the tavern-keeper shall be put to death.
Beer is also noted in the ancient Egyptian culture as well, most likely having been passed on by the Sumerians as civilization spread out. Beer made its appearance in Europe via the Germanic and Celtic tribes. At this point, hops had not yet been used in the beer making process. Many early European beers contained fruits, honey, plants and narcotic herbs. The majority of early European beer was brewed in the home.
The first documented appearance of hops to the beer brewing process was in a Carolingian Abbot in the year 822. Hops are later noted in history by Abbess Hildegard of Bingen, a nun in Eibingen Abbey. Hops provide the bitter taste to counteract the sweetness of the malt. They also sterilize the beer from micro organisms and act as a preservative while contributing to head retention- the amount of time the foam at the top of your beer glass will last.
It wasn't until the thirteenth century that the usage of hops became a common practice, however. Later on in modern times, some beer breweries would go the other way with hops, which in moderation can provide a nice aroma and flavor, but some American breweries have gone a bit nuts with the amount of hops that they use. Thank god for the many varieties of beer that we have today to make up for that!
So next time you are at a bar and you order a beer and that cute girl gives you that look, tell her the story of how what you are drinking started civilization. She will be impressed. Or when your girlfriend tells you that you drink too much beer, politely inform her of the intelligence that our society has gained from the wonderful elixir you enjoy so much.
Next time you start to wonder whether or not you want another beer, remember that you are giving yourself nutrients and amino acids that will nurture you and... Ah screw it. I can't think of a witty ending for this. I'm getting another beer.
These primitive humans dried the sprouts to be eaten later, but sometimes the sprouts would not last, as natural yeast found its way into the container and began to cause fermentation. As more moisture appeared in the container, the liquid quickly extracted all of the enzymes and sugar and began to turn into beer. No one had tried drinking this liquid yet, as it was considered to be rotted leftovers of barley.
However, one day food was very scarce, and the people were getting hungry. They did the unimaginable and they decided to drink the "rotted barley liquid". They in turn, received a nice nutritious meal! You see, yeast reduces some indigestible and poor tasting substances in barley and increases B vitamins and amino acids. In turn, they also received something that they had never experienced before. They were buzzing!
Bread was actually invented so that the ingredients for beer wouldn't go bad! Bread had a much longer shelf life than the sprouted barley, and at this point the Sumerians were getting pretty efficient at producing barley- to the point that they were able to piss on themselves from drinking so much beer and still have left over ingredients. It was at this point that the Sumerians were getting old, and needed to pass the recipe for beer down to their children before the knowledge was lost.
The earliest documented appearance of beer in our history is the Hymn to Ninkasi, the goddess of beer brewing, which specifically details the recipe that was used to make this ancient beer. Bread was the main ingredient, as the transition had been made from using the grains to storing them so that they would not go bad. The alcohol had effectively killed all of their weaker brain cells, making them smart. They began to study things like mathematics, astronomy, and irrigation (which was another way to produce more grains for their beer).
The invention of bread is argued to be what allowed our civilization to both advance technologically, and in size. Beer, being the root of the invention of bread, is the mother of all invention. And people say beer makes you dumb, eh? I'll have to enjoy a good laugh the next time I hear that one as I crack open another bottle and bring myself to a higher level of intelligence.
Around 7000 B.C, in what is now known as China, the first rice beer was born. This would lead to the invention of something completely evil and incredibly horrible- Budweiser! But I guess the Chinese redeemed themselves for this god-awful creation by supplying spices to the Italian sailors which would be used to create beer's perfect partner- the pizza. Other early documented evidence of the existence of beer and its impact on society is found in Hammurabi's Code.The Code of Hammurabi is a compilation of 282 laws that were used as the first ever written Constitution, and was used to govern both rulers and citizens alike. The code has several specific references to beer parlors, or taverns, depending on how you would like to translate it. It sentences anyone who overcharges for beer to drowning and it also sentences any High Priestess who is caught in a tavern to death by fire. I think by keeping their women sober, they kept them stupid or something like that. After all, this was before women's rights.
Here are a couple of excerpts from the Code of Hammurabi:
Law 108
If a tavern-keeper does not accept corn according to gross weight in payment of drink, but takes money, and the price of the drink is less than that of the corn, she shall be convicted and thrown into the water.
Law 109
If conspirators meet in the house of a tavern-keeper, and these conspirators are not captured and delivered to the court, the tavern-keeper shall be put to death.
Beer is also noted in the ancient Egyptian culture as well, most likely having been passed on by the Sumerians as civilization spread out. Beer made its appearance in Europe via the Germanic and Celtic tribes. At this point, hops had not yet been used in the beer making process. Many early European beers contained fruits, honey, plants and narcotic herbs. The majority of early European beer was brewed in the home.
It wasn't until the thirteenth century that the usage of hops became a common practice, however. Later on in modern times, some beer breweries would go the other way with hops, which in moderation can provide a nice aroma and flavor, but some American breweries have gone a bit nuts with the amount of hops that they use. Thank god for the many varieties of beer that we have today to make up for that!
So next time you are at a bar and you order a beer and that cute girl gives you that look, tell her the story of how what you are drinking started civilization. She will be impressed. Or when your girlfriend tells you that you drink too much beer, politely inform her of the intelligence that our society has gained from the wonderful elixir you enjoy so much.
Next time you start to wonder whether or not you want another beer, remember that you are giving yourself nutrients and amino acids that will nurture you and... Ah screw it. I can't think of a witty ending for this. I'm getting another beer.
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