Friday, June 10, 2011

The History Of Original Microbrews

By Dana Cain


Beer, that wonderful amber liquid, has been around for quite a while already. It is mentioned in Sumerian texts that date back more than 5,000 years ago. Beginning in the 1950s, scientists debated the notion that beer, not bread, was actually the start of the development for agriculture. Beer is appreciated in all parts of the world, and so many different countries have breweries of their own.

Practically all countries in the world have their own beer varieties or specific brands. While beer is mostly a social drink these days, it used to be a part of everyday meals, brewed at home in early times. And as society would become more advanced, so did the production of beer in places like South Africa and China, as it eventually became a business in its own. Truth be told, it is hard to get actual evidence that people were brewing their own beer in ancient times.

So far, archaeologists haven't been able to find a complete set of evidence. One of the oldest breweries was found in southern Egypt and dates back to over 5,000 years ago. Teams discovered several vats, all well-heated and containing some sort of leftover cereal-like substance, which indicate that these were used for brewing.

Yet another proof of ancient breweries was found in central Egypt, along the world-famous Nile river. The Sun Temple, better known as the burial place of the wife of a Pharaoh, shares a site with the brewery in question. Archaeologists found a complex set of rooms that had been used for cereal processing. Ovens, grains, and larger jars indicate that the rooms were used as a bakery or a brewery. Over in Europe, intrepid teams of explorers found what appears to be an early Roman brewery. On this site, there were preserved tables that date from A.D. 100, with beer being specifically mentioned on several of the tablets. It is very difficult, if at all, to search for any chemical traces of beer that could determine whether these were indeed breweries.

The most conclusive way of finding out whether a brewery existed or not would be to search for chemical evidence, but that is practically impossible. The cereal residue or cereal-like substances found may have been used for baking, and alcohol is too volatile to leave residue lasting for centuries. As people continue exploring the world's ancient civilizations, there will be more so-called discoveries proving the existence of ancient beer. Still, you cannot expect these discoveries to be the real thing for sure unless they are able to find physical evidence. Wouldn't you think things would be vastly different if there was physical evidence?




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