Who invented beer is not known for certain. The history of this drink goes into the distant, distant past. And even today, the name of the person who first brewed the now adored foam elixir is not known. Nobody knows exactly the same country in which this nectar appeared. Scientists put forward different versions, conduct research, try to establish the name of the power in which beer was first invented. But there are so many versions and theories that it’s hard to decide, and many states have the right to be called the birthplace of the foam.
Sumerians and Babylonians
Who invented the beer is not known for sure, but it is known for sure that this drink is considered the oldest alcoholic product. Historians attribute the origin of foam nectar to Mesopotamia. During the archaeological excavations, Sumerian clay tablets were found on the territory of this country, which depicted brewers leaning over the vat. The find dates back to the VII millennium BC. The Sumerians also had the goddess of beer - Ninkasi Svetostruynaya. The deity was not only worshiped, but whole poems were also dedicated to it. Sumerian beer cannot be called completely hoppy, as it was brewed without the addition of hops. Spelled and barley, as well as fragrant herbs, were added to the liquid to provide flavor. The fortress of the final composition was three to four percent.
The Babylonians, the heirs of the Sumerians, improved the beer recipe. They began to make a drink from malt, not from barley, as their predecessors did. The Babylonians fought seriously for the quality of the foam product. King Hammurabi (II millennium BC. E.) issued a law according to which, the innkeeper, who overstated the price of a drink, was subjected to the death penalty - drowning. For dilution of beer with water the innkeeper was given a spoiled liquid until he died from terrible torment. If a conversation about politics was maintained in the inn of the inn, the owner of the establishment was also sentenced to death.
Ancient egyptian beer
When asked about who invented beer in Egypt, scientists answer: the god Osiris. They draw such a conclusion, referring to one of the ancient Egyptian manuscripts. The priests Osiris taught brewing became the only persons who knew the secrets of preparing divine nectar. Many pharaohs owned breweries. So, even Nefertiti owned the brewery, and on the walls of this establishment was depicted a queen pouring a beer drink through a strainer .
In ancient Egypt, beer was brewed from barley, but in some cases it was replaced with wheat malt. Onions, bread and, of course, beer constituted the main grocery set of an ordinary Egyptian resident. The center of brewing in this state was the city of Pelusius, which is why the product itself was called the “Pelusian drink”. There was a special tax on it. During a holiday, beer was mixed with honey or wine.
The history of beer from ancient Greece and Rome
It is not known who invented beer in Ancient Greece and Rome. But the fact that in these countries he was despised is a fact. Here it was considered a drink of poor people who could not afford to feast on wines. But, despite this, Hippocrates devoted a whole scientific treatise to the foamy elixir, and Aristotle concluded that after intoxication with wine, a person staggers around, and after beer he falls back. The weakest beer was very strong and bitter for the Greeks, as they used to make wines with water, so their true taste was not felt to the full, but ale was used in pure form.
The Romans did not like beer. They drank it only on holidays in honor of Ceres - the goddess of agriculture. Therefore, in ancient Rome they called the drink ceres. According to the scientific historian Braudel, beer remained the "drink of the poor and barbarians" until the tenth century.
Beer in Africa
It is difficult to say who first invented beer on the planet. But the fact that it was known in Africa is a fact. Here it was a very common product. In Abyssinia, it was cooked from buckthorn and from hops. In some African regions in which barley did not grow, millet was used to produce the hop composition, and dagussa was used for a stronger product.
In various rites of the peoples of Africa, beer played an important role. At the funeral, next to the body of the deceased, this drink was mandatory. Each person present at the ceremony should have drunk this composition. The peoples of the Guinean coast and Sudan made an elixir from millet. But over time, millet was replaced by sorghum, another cereal crop. And in the XVI century, sorghum beer became famous in Europe.
History of European beer
In what country beer was invented, no source is definitely unable to say. But in Europe it has been popular since time immemorial. In the Celts, it was a traditional drink. In the 1st century BC, Posidonius mentions that he prepared an elixir based on honey and wheat. At the same time, beer in Gaul was called corma and it was called a folk drink. Among the Germans, it was a national product.
Among the excavations carried out in the UK, tablets were found, the inscription on which was reduced to the fact that someone asks to issue a decree on the delivery of beer to the legionnaires from whom it ended.
Ancient viking beer
Where beer was first invented, not a single person on Earth will say for sure. But historical documents claim that the formidable Vikings, who lived in the northern distant lands, also owned the art of brewing. They used spruce and pine needles instead of hops. As a result, the resulting composition was enriched with vitamins C and B, which supported the strength of the drinkers. So, the beer that the Vikings brewed was called Odin's brava.
Any feast of this people was accompanied by incredible booze. And the ability to drink more than your comrade was equated with military success. The current tradition of pouring an extraordinary glass to a latecomer is from the Vikings.
The appearance of beer in Russia
It is also unknown who invented beer and in what year in Russia. The words "beer" and "drink" are consonant with each other. Previously, this word denoted all drinks in general. In Novgorod birch bark letters the first mention is made of beer. Decoctions, which were based on beer and honey, were called digests and were distinguished by a large fortress. These products paid tribute.
In the Old Russian Empire, foamy brew and bread were the main food package. Monasteries were the center of brewing, and the drink itself became ritual.
Non-alcoholic "brother"
Today, in addition to traditional beer, non-alcoholic is also popular. And whoever came up with non-alcoholic beer, scientists can already say for sure: Americans. During Prohibition, in the United States, all drinks that contained ethyl alcohol were banned. All large manufacturing companies were in danger of total bankruptcy. But one very large enterprise managed to continue its existence. Under the Budweiser brand, it launched the world's first non-alcoholic beer containing half a percent alcohol.
Fans of traditional nectar did not like the new product right away. But he helped the brewers not go bankrupt. For more than a century and a half, the Anheuser-Buschc brand has been producing beer called Budweiser.
Alcohol intoxication activates changes in human physiology, behavior and the psyche. Therefore, in those countries where the majority of car accidents are caused by drunk drivers, a decision was made to mass-produce non-alcoholic foam product.