Beer has been around for over 8,000 years. The earliest trace of a cereal-based brew comes from Jihau in China, 7000 BC. There is also strong evidence to support ritual alcohol brewing for funerary feats at Gobleki Tepe, in modern-day Turkey, dating back to 9600 BC.
Beer in those ancient times would have been very different from modern-day suds. Far from our crisp golden lagers, ancient beers would have been dense, low-alcohol, darl, and packed with residual mash. That’s why the Sumerians and Egyptians used straws, as evidenced by ancient tablets.
Back in those days, beer was a staple of everyday life, along with bread and lentils. Those two probably supplied a large part of the everyday caloric intake. As far as everybody was concerned, beer was food. As late as the 16th century, Portuguese sailors could derive up to 40% of their caloric intake from beer alone.
In ancient times, beer and its fundamental ingredients—barley and malted barley—were so valuable that they were used as a form of salary. Sumerian officials could be compensated with roughly 5 gallons a day, enough to keep a comfortable entourage well-hydrated and happy. Beer was often the first manufactured product in most societies. Those who could ensure a steady supply of this liquid gold typically found themselves at the helm of power.
Fast forward millennia and Scandinavian lords were still expected to provide the legendary mead at the Mead Hall during grand events or, when things got dicey, during those infamous Viking expeditions.
Beer was not just food; it was a potent symbol of power—over nature and people. So much so that in 1960, an entire academic symposium convened to ponder whether the humble brew should be regarded as an essential driver of civilization.r men once lived by beer alone.
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