Exactly when humans first began making alcoholic beverages such as beer is not known with any amount of certainty. However, a major turning point in human history was the transition from a foraging and collecting society to a productive, agrarian one.
A History of Beer and Brewing
This gradual transition happened very early (ca. 9000-7000 BC) in the Near East and the Fertile Crescent and the rest of the world followed. As a result, many historians are inclined to give credit the history of beer and brewing as starting with the Sumerians because of ancient records that tell of a prehistoric Eurasian cereal grains cultivated by the civilization at the time.
The historic grain, called emmer, is commonly thought to have been involved in the birth of beer. Horst Dornbusch, noted beer author, relays a familiar anecdotal story about some bread that was left out and got wet and was forgotten about for several weeks. The resulting pooled liquid that collected beside it was pale, semi-bitter, only slightly bubbly, and produced “ god-like effects ” when consumed orally.
Thus the history of beer and brewing had begun and the birth of beer was bestowed on man. Such a story cannot be verified, of course, but it is easy to image that such a thing could have happened.
Origins of Beer and Beer and Women
The origins of beer soon led to a standardization of the practice of brewing, and there are not many who have brewed with more efficiency and structure than the Germans. The German Beer Institute (GBI) online notes that Germans have been brewing ales for at least three thousand years, traditional dark lagers for about five centuries, and the blond, crisp, clean lagers - for which they have become so famous - for only a little under 150 years. Pilsners, however, are only in their infancy, started under half a century ago.
On the subject of origins of beer, some historians have even suggested that the pagans of northern Europe called their beer" öl" (a very guttural and German-sounding word, to be sure), which is thought to be the root of the modern word "ale." However, since these civilizations could neither read nor write, there is no solid evidence to back up such etymology. Much of the history of beer brewing is, unfortunately, this way.
The upshot is that Germans are thought to have been regular brewers since about 800 BC, and archaeologists have even uncovered the burial site of a well-to-do German of that time that supports this notion. The tomb that was uncovered contained crocks of beer and traces of bread - the standard raw material for the grain mashes of yore and a staple early on in the birth of beer.
Unfortunately, the GBI further notes that Germans also brought the first commercialization to brewing, a fact that should not be lost when one considers modern distribution methods. Prior to the days of beer regulation and government involvement, beer was truly the drink of the masses.
Many sources relay stories early on in the history of beer and brewing of men out tending the fields, while their wives tended the house and made beer. Thus the theme of beer and women is a very popular one. Woman were responsible for making good beer, and if the beer was not good the punishment was possibIy death.
During this pastoral era of relative calm that two tremendous influences began to shape the commercialization and regulation of beer and brewing: feudalism and Christianity. Feudalism, we are told, moved beer making from a homemaker's task to a privileged commercial activity, which was practiced at first by monks and nuns and later by secular court breweries and mercantile enterprises. This altered the early origins of beer forever.
Christianity, too, brought with it the desire to herd widespread knowledge and craft into centers for learning (usually monasteries). For the first time in the history of beer and brewing, the focus of making beer was shifted off the individual and onto the institution.
Beer Regulations and German Purity Law
The history of beer and brewing would never be the same, and neither would the relationship of beer and women.
In natural progression of beer regulation, the German Purity Law of 1516 was well on its way. According to the Museum of Beer and Brewing online ( MBB), the Purity Law itself was a direct result of the Bavarian Duke, Wilhelm IV.
The reasoning behind it, evidently, was to maintain some sort of beer regulation in the fast-growing industry. The issue was that beer had become so popular that people were brewing hundreds of variations. A list of common ingredients of the time included but were not limited to the following:
- fruits
- herbs
- weeds
- anis
- myrtle
- oak leaves,
- ivy (poisonous)
- herbstzeitlosen
- raspberries
- elderberry
- caraway
- lavender
- dandelion
- bay leaves
- balm
- mint
- nutmeg
- cherry leaves
- plums
- rose leaves
- wild rosemary
- schluessel flowers
- juniper berries
- and lemon
The German Purity Law, then, represented one of the first written forms of beer regulation, and the penalty for breaking it is harsh:
"We especially demand that from now on and forever in our cities and villages as well as in the country, that no longer any materials for beer brewing will be used other than Barley, Hops and Water. Whoever shall knowingly break these laws or does not adhere to them, will be sentenced by the superior court to immediately remove the keg of beer."
This German Purity Law, incidentally, still stands (relatively unaltered) in today, along with many other laws now governing the making, selling, shipping, and consumption of beer.
Beer regulation has been good and bad, though, and, although there are many more good beers out there because of it, the result has significantly narrowed what is, by the general public, considered beer and what is.
Luckily, there is a growing worldwide homebrewing community (and many microbreweries) still willing to take a chance on interesting and delicious ingredients. Also, some microbrewers are pushing the envelope on the definition of beer, and there is now a wonderfully diverse online community where beer lovers can share ideas and recipies. Perhaps, then, the history of beer and brewing is just as it should be.
Jeremy Perkins - The author has a B.A in Journalism and Writing, an M.A. in Information Technology, and enjoys watercolor painting, sports, coding, hiking, ...
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