History of Processed Beer
Did you know beer is the oldest recorded recipe in the world? The ancient Egyptians first documented the brewing process on papyrus scrolls around 5000 BC. These first beers were brewed with dates, pomegranates and indigenous herbs and were harsh compared to today’s standards. Beer was used for various religious ceremonies in Egypt. The pharaohs can be considered as the first brewmasters. Before the Egyptians, however, primitive cultures of Mesopotamia are believed to have been the first brewers around 10,000 BC. There is no recorded evidence of the same but they did leave behind malted barley scraps and bowls with beer like residues. It can also be considered that this residue was something like the remnants of grain that got fermented naturally with wild yeast that imparted an intoxicating effect to the consumer.
Beer then moved from the Middle East across the Mediterranean to Europe and became an integral part of their life due to the abundance of barley crops. Modern Beer was born during the early middle ages with malted barley being the main source of fermentable sugar for hundreds of years and then the use of hops as a bittering and flavouring agent became common around the 12th century. German monks began using hops as the main ingredient which quickly caught on as it was very pleasing and had thirst-quenching bitterness. Additionally hops acted as a natural preservative which extended the life of beers. During the middle ages, monks were the preeminent brewers and even today Belgian monasteries rank among the greatest breweries in the world.
