Beer History Part I

Beer History


The Cradle of Life

The Cradle of Life starts in Mesopotamia. Religious books make references to great waters in this area. It was the perfect location for mankind to put down stakes. Civilization came about when crops were cultivated, harvested, dried, and stored. The primary crop for fermented beverages were grain crops. These were the same grains used in the production of bread. The staff of Life.

This area lay in Sumaria between the River Tigris and Euphrates. Today we knoe this area as modern day Iraq. There are several artifacts, cueiforms, and hieroglyphs which make reference to the production of beer throughout , Sumarai, Africa and Babylon.

While the men may have been involved in the process from cultivation to storing, it was the women-folk who were responsible for taking the product and turning into food fit for sustenance. It was common for women to be involved in the production of beer. A tribute to this is found in the Hymn to Ninkasi. See Appendix I.

The production of beer continued to be documented as a part of life and ritual. This was tradition was clearly in scripted in the tombs of the dead. The Egyptians would provide beer in exchange for the labor provided to build the massive pyramids. Pictures of straws or siphons used for the purpose of drinking beer are preserved as a part of natural history for the region. Pharoahs are depicted with “gold straws” .

The production of beer during this period was known as “bouza”. This was typically a barley bread which was allowed to dry. It would then be used as a starter. This bread would be crumbled into water. Strained and then left to ferment.

The production of beer was very critical to the region. After the Babylonians conquered the Sumarians in 2 BC, several notable events occurred. First, considered to be the first Epic ever written, was a story about a man by the name of Enkidu who was given 7 cups of beer by a prostitute and became human. This account is found in the Epic of Gilgamesh.

The other event was brought on by the Babylonian ruler, Hammurabi in 3 BC. Hammurabi put into effect the oldest known set of laws that is know to this time. This law included how the beer was made, who received it, and how much. The amount of beer rationed would depend on ones status.