Beer is the second most popular drink in the world – right after water and tea – and the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage. Still, when was the last time you drank a glass of beer and thought about the rich history behind this old brewing technique? Read along for a brief overview of 10 beer brewing history facts. It will make your drink taste even better!
1. It Started With Beer-Bread
The first documented beers dated back 5000 years ago, although they would have tasted quite different from the beers we know today. The process of beer brewing used by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia resulted in what we now call “beer-bread”: half baked bread was soaked in water to create a fermented brew, which was often flavoured with honey and herbs. Since it had the same basic ingredients as bread, it was considered to be an equally nutritious food resource. Some ancient pottery findings suggest the beer brewing process dates back even further, namely 7000 or more years ago.
It was not until the process of malting was discovered – presumably by the Mesopotamians in 2000 to 3000 B.C. – that beers started to contain a significant amount of alcohol. Back then, beer brewing was a noble profession in the hands of elite women or priests. Some types of beers were even reserved for religious ceremonies.
3. The Egyptians Thought a Great Deal of Beer
In ancient Egypt, beer was part of the everyday diet. Tombs sometimes reveal rocks as well as wooden depictions of the brewing process. Analytics have concluded the Egyptians knew different types of beer using various types of grain. Also, beer was often employed in medicines and served a religious purpose.
4. The Germans Made Things Easier
The Romans, who favoured wine, brought the beer brewing process further into the North. The Germans were the one who found a way to put the bread baking process aside and brew beer from germinated and dried grain which they then fermented.
5. Monks Knew How to Brew
In Medieval Europe, the beer brewing process was pretty much reserved for monks, the most educated part of society. However, beer was a typical drink, consumed by all social classes for its nutritious value and because it was often far safer than drinking (contaminated) water.
Source Image: heartlandbrewery.com
6. Beer Had to Compete with Tea
During 18th century “Age or Reason” Europe was semi anti-alcohol. With the rise of coffee and tea came a slight downfall for beer. In America, this destruction was much greater due to the prohibition from 1920-1933 when consuming alcohol beverages was illegal, followed by the Great Depression: American breweries had quite some difficulty recovering from these difficult years.
7. Industrialisation Did Well for Beer
The Industrial Revolution had a great impact on the production of beer. With the invention of the steam engine in 1765 came the industrialisation of the beer. The introduction of the thermometer (1760) and hydrometer (1770) made the beer brewing process more and more efficient, making beer a mass product.
8. No Beer Bottles Until
The first beer bottle was sold in 1850. Before then, people would take their buckets and go to taverns to fill them up. In some brew bars they still have that old tradition.
9. Marketing Made Beer even More Popular
In the 20th century, advertising played a significant part in the growing popularity of different types of beers. On the Catawiki Beer & Brewery Paraphernalia Auction, you find many advertising signs that define this era - from 1930s brewery signs to typical advertising mirrors from the 1980s.
10. Weihenstephan Started Brewing in 1040
The world’s oldest brewery has been making beer for almost 1000 years now. You can find the Bavarian State Brewery Weihenstephan on the same Weihenstephan hill in Germany where they started brewing in 1040!
Doesn’t your beer suddenly taste richer and better? The history of beer brewing is just as fascinating as the history of wine. Make your beer experience even richer by collecting historical attributes on our Weekly Beer & Brewery Paraphernalia Auction, or expand your drinking supply with some extraordinary bottles of beer to share with friends on a warm summer night.