The Origins of Beer, Brewing, and Grain Alcohol
Brew, Ale, and Beer Facts, Stats, and History
May 8, 2008
The origins of the word beer are dark and cloudy like a good strong Belgian Ale, unlike its older paler brethren, ale, which can be traced directly to the Latin root word for bitter. But even that distinction was hardly a distinction at all since the two words were used pretty much synonymously until the addition of hops some time in the 16th Century.
After that, the word beer came to mean the more bitter of the two, and in a definition from the Online Etymology Dictionary the Old English, beor, was probably borrowed from the Germanic, biber. The Germanic, in turn, bears a striking resemblance to the even older Latin, bibere, an infinitive meaning “to drink. On the other hand, the Spanish word for beer is cerveza, which also comes from the Latin (cervesia) and is perhaps related to a similar word, just as old, meaning "thick broth.”
The Birth of Beer and Babylonian Drinking Laws
Which ever etymology you follow, you quickly come to the conclusion that beer and brewing are old. In fact, the ancient Egyptians, the Chinese, and even pre-Colombian cultures all developed beers in their own right depending on available grains. Historians are usually inclined to give credit to the Sumerians for inventing the beer, though, because ancient records tell of a prehistoric Eurasian cereal grain cultivated for use in brewing, baking, and feeding livestock. According to Horst Dornbusch, noted beer author, the grain is called emmer, and it is commonly thought that the first beer was discovered after some fermenting bread got wet and was forgotten about for several weeks. The resulting pooled liquid was pale, semi-bitter, only slightly bubbly, and produced “god-like effects” when consumed orally.
Because of this heavenly inducement, the only right thing to do was drink copious amounts of the stuff in honor of the gods. So cementing the weight and importance on this sentiment , Hammurabi, the famous Babylonian founder and king, established a kingdom-wide set of drinking laws. Surprisingly, as many as 20 different types of beer were known to have been brewed in Babylon, and daily rations were enforced depending on social hierarchy (H. Dormbusch).
Brewing Beer is Women's Work
Interestingly, brewing was considered exclusively womens' work early on, a tradition which would not change until late in the medieval period. It was considered a daily chore of the most important order, and brewing bad beer was often punishable by drowning.
But brewing anything but poor beer must have been a skill indeed, as hops were not known to be cultivated until the 800’s in France (beer100 on-line), and the discovery of yeast cultivation didn’t happen until 1857 (on-line biography on Louis Pasteur) - not to mention the inherent problems involved with offering a guest a frosty lager in nicely chilled glass. In fact, early beer was pretty unstable and consumed at room temperature. It was know to spoil quickly, was often flat, did not ship well, and would be, what most now would consider, anything but a divine experience.
According to Foster’s on-line, Christian monasteries were the first to adopt the cause of improving, purifying, recording, and generally cleaning up the whole process of beer making. As a result of these efforts, three Christian saints were named as patrons of brewing: Saint Augustine of Hippo, author of the confessions; Saint Luke the Evangelist; and Saint Nicholas of Myra, better known as Santa Claus.
Beer, Hops, and the German Purity Law
While the monks improved and solidified the process of brewing, the addition of hops sparked a profound need to separate the new beer making process (with hops) from the old (without hops and soon to be called ale). In the swirling controversy of the time the Duke of Bavaria established his own “purity law” for brewing, a law which still exists today (with some minor modern changes). In fact, this may be the oldest food regulation still in use, and although other countries have adopted similar definitions none are as stringent as the German (go figure).
Despite all of the initial clamor, however, eventually all beer adopted hops as a fundamental ingredient, and ale came to mean a lighter colored beer, such as the one Christopher Columbus encountered during his voyage of 1502. He found the natives of Central America made an excellent beer brewed of maize, which, “resembling English beer,” he liked very much. Even Queen Elizabeth was rumored to have favored "the suds" and often sent scouts out ahead to taste the beer of an area. If she didn't like it she would send for some from London where she reportedly had her own brewmaster. (Foster's on-line).
Craft Beer and Grain Alcohol
By the 17th Century beer was just about everywhere and safer to drink in most places than water. Today, the water may be better but beer is no less appreciated. In 2007 the U.S craft beer industry generated 5.7 billion dollars and somewhere in the range of 8 million barrels.
Incidentally, the kick one gets from beer is actually caused by the ethyl alcohol produced during the brewing process, and the percentage can be controlled to a certain degree through ingredients and temperature. The "god-like effect" are caused by the alcohol interfering with normal brain activity, which it does almost immediately thanks to its uncanny ability to bind with water molecules.
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