Drink Article - A Brief History of Beer

Think about this-if cavemen were as worried about food spoilage as folks are today, beer might never have been discovered.

Historians say that the first bowl of fermented barley mash might have been slurped back in 25,000 B.C. Although there are no records to prove it, the story goes that a man sat in his cave preparing a bowl of prehistoric cereal-grain and water-when wild beasts charging through the woods caught his attention. Distracted by his carnivorous cravings, the man grabbed his club and pursued the animals, leaving his mash to turn into mush. Three days later, the man returned to his cave and delighted in the taste of his accidental concoction.

It's History

In more recent years, the earliest written records of beer and its consumption-1880 B.C.-were found inscribed on stone tablets in Mesopotamia and painted inside Egyptian tombs.

By 1350 B.C., Pharaohs decreed beer Egypt's national beverage. More nutritious than its modern-day counterparts, beer ensured a longer life span for those who chose it over water. Doctors prescribed it as an antidote for scorpion bites and offered a foam-soaked onion to folks on their deathbeds as a final attempt to sustain life.

Centuries later, in medieval England, new brides offered ale to gift-bearing guests attending their wedding reception. The cluster of friends helping to serve the beverage became known as the bride-ale-or bridal-party.....

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