Buzz
Beer has been around for over 10,000 years, with records on ancient tablets dating back to 3400 BC. Clearly, people have enjoyed getting drunk for a very long time. The story of beer offers a fascinating glimpse into ancient societies and their ways of life.
Did you know it’s possible to survive on only beer and water? If you’ve had a reckless youth, you’d probably agree. Let’s dive into 10 key milestones in the history of beer.
10. The Birth Of Beer
Today, we often joke with friends about calling certain foods and drinks “the nectar of the gods.” But in ancient Sumer and other regions of the Fertile Crescent, beer was genuinely believed to be a divine gift. Its intoxicating effects, nutritional value, high calorie content, and straightforward recipe made it the drink of choice among the gods.
While it’s impossible to pinpoint the exact moment beer was created, we know it existed between 3500 and 3100 BC in the settlement of Godin Tepe (modern-day Iran). This is considered the beginning of beer brewing in the Western world. However, the ancient Chinese had been brewing beer as far back as 7000 BC.
The Sumerians and other early civilizations valued beer much as we do today. In fact, without it, these cultures might not have advanced as quickly as they did.
Beer not only provided a reason for long-distance trade, with merchants traveling 320 kilometers (200 miles) to exchange goods, but it also served as a portable food and nutrient source. Grains and cereals are far easier to grow, transport, and store compared to fruits, vegetables, or livestock. Pure simplicity.
There’s evidence to suggest beer might have existed before bread, and it’s highly possible that beer was discovered during attempts to create bread. People living in Godin Tepe may have been drinking beer as early as 10,000 BC, making it over 12,000 years old.
9. The Rise of Beer Culture
Legends surrounding deities and figures linked to beer quickly began to emerge. Inanna, the ancient Sumerian goddess of love and fertility, is featured in a well-known poem called “Inanna and the God of Wisdom.”
In the poem, the god Enki and goddess Inanna indulge in alcohol together. After Enki gets thoroughly intoxicated, he accidentally reveals the laws of civilization to Inanna, symbolizing the transfer of power between two ancient cities: Eridu (Enki’s city) and Uruk (Inanna’s city).
8. ‘Hymn To Ninkasi’
The renowned poem “Hymn to Ninkasi” served as a recipe for brewing ancient beer. Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer, was believed to inhabit the beer brewed with her recipe. This concept is somewhat similar to the idea of Communion in Catholicism.
It was believed that the gods gifted beer to humanity to bring happiness and promote general well-being. The recipe in the poem was also a song, making it easy to memorize and recite in a time when public education and literacy were limited.
Much like our national anthems or the songs we all know by heart today, this ancient Sumerian anthem was a tune that taught people how to brew the finest beer. Quite fascinating.
7. The Epic Of Gilgamesh: Craftsmanship Refined
The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known works of literature, tells the story of the hero Enkidu, who is civilized once he is taught the art of drinking beer. This was done within religious contexts, as beer and religion have been intertwined since the beverage’s inception.
The Sumerians gradually perfected brewing, resulting in numerous beer recipes. This eventually led to the creation of the first bars and liquor shops.
In a cuneiform document, we find a receipt for what was considered “the best beer.” It’s a transaction for beer from a brewer named Alulu, known for producing the finest beer in the city of Ur during King Shulgi’s reign. This document is the only known surviving record from Ur.
6. Ancient Greece
Debauchery, war, chaos, sexual promiscuity, lust, and unchecked drunkenness—ah, the magnificent excesses of ancient Greece, the civilization that laid the foundations of Western culture. Built on trade, particularly of olives and olive oil, which were prized in the Mediterranean, ancient Greece thrived on grapes, wine, bathhouses, and wild revelries dedicated to the gods.
Newly discovered evidence, however, suggests that beer might have played a significant role in ancient Greek society. Archaeologists have uncovered thousands of cereal grains from around 2100 BC, during the Bronze Age, in the ancient cities of Archondiko and Agrissa. Both cities had been destroyed by fire and eventually abandoned.
5. Kottabos
While we can’t pinpoint exactly when or where, it’s clear someone had to invent the first drinking game. What we do know is that one of the earliest-known drinking games, kottabos, is considered the forefather of all modern drinking games.
Kottabos was a mix of beer pong and other modern games where players sit around a central bucket or bowl, tossing objects into it. The key difference in ancient Greece was that slaves were tasked with cleaning up the mess afterward. At a symposium, the ancient Greeks would get as drunk as we do today while engaging in these fun yet silly antics.
To play kottabos, participants would place smaller bowls or discs into a large bucket or bowl. Players would then attempt to throw objects into the larger container to sink the smaller ones. Another variation involved throwing an object to knock a disc off a metal stand at the center of the room. Thousands of years later, it seems not much has changed.
4. Medieval Mugs For Monks: Beer in the Middle Ages
A medieval monk, whose name remains unknown, once famously said, “He who drinks beer sleeps well. He who sleeps well cannot sin. He who does not sin goes to Heaven. Amen.”
Beer made its way into medieval society through ancient Rome, becoming a key part of religious life for centuries. Many monks sought a simple existence, centered around farming, worship, Christianity, and self-denial of pleasures. But one thing remained non-negotiable—beer.
For the monks of medieval times, beer served as a way to reconnect with a more virtuous life. While hops hadn’t yet been introduced, the beer was much stronger in alcohol content. Monks even experimented with ingredients, adding everything from cinnamon to chicken extract in an attempt to improve the flavor.
3. The All-Beer Diet Is Invented
Typically, Lent is a time when some Christians refrain from various pleasures until Easter. However, in 1634, the Paulaner monks, who had moved from southern Italy to Germany, decided to break tradition. Instead of avoiding alcoholic beverages, they exclusively consumed beer and water for 46 days.
But these weren’t monks using a religious fast as an excuse to indulge in excess. Unlike those who give up meat for Lent, the Paulaner monks abstained from all food during the 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Easter. To survive, they created a beer called doppelbock, which acted as a “liquid bread,” providing essential nutrients and carbohydrates.
Doppelbock beer is thicker, richer, maltier, and heavier than regular beer. It also contains far more alcohol than typical beers of that era. It’s likely these monks were intoxicated the entire time. In what could be considered a monumental moment in beer history, they demonstrated that humans can live on beer alone.
2. Distillation Into Alcohol
The Renaissance further advanced the production of alcohol, likely through the creation of gin and grain alcohol by the Swedes or the Dutch. These cultures also played a major role in perfecting the distillation of alcohol derived from beer.
In 1469, the first grain alcohols and gins were created. Then, in 1494, whiskey was distilled for the first time in Scotland. While very little alcohol is now distilled from beer, historically, liquors were often produced through the distillation of beer. Some groups still practice this method today.
1. When Beer Saved The World
Beer didn’t just help early human civilization, but it also played a crucial role in saving humanity during the Middle Ages. Beer provided an essential source of calories and hydration when safe drinking water and other forms of nutrition were scarce.
Then came Greece and Rome, the epitome of ancient civilization. Rome pioneered aqueducts and developed water transport and filtration techniques that were unparalleled at the time. However, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the invading Germanic tribes destroyed much, including the vast knowledge accumulated in earlier times. Water filtration systems were lost as well.
Contrary to popular belief, beer is the only alcoholic beverage that helps hydrate, as it is made up of 95 percent water. In an era plagued by disease and with Roman water purification methods lost, beer once again became a lifeline for humanity.
With its natural antiseptic properties, beer provided a reliable means of delivering hydration to people in desperate need. It wasn't until the fall of Western Rome that experimentation with water filtration resumed, with Sir Francis Bacon attempting it in 1627.
