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Origin
of the word "Beer"
The origin of the name of Beer is uncertain. Various theories
have been put forward as to its origin.
Possibly derives from Latin word "biber" which means
to drink. Roman soldiers perhaps went to taverns, particularly
in Germany and ordered "biber", which tavern owners
assumed to mean ale in which they specialized. Gradually, the
German word for ale became biber, later shortened "bier".
Overall History
Beer has enjoyed a long and illustrious history. Through the
years, it has been immortalized in songs, stories, poems and
legends. Beer consumption has been woven into the fabric of
human life since its inception. The golden nectar has been relished
by prominent people in all civilizations. But while beer was
considered to be a beverage worthy of kings and gods, it was
also enjoyed by people from all walks of society.
We can trace the beginning of beer far back beyond the dawn
of recorded time. Apparently, beer was the first alcohol beverage
known to civilization. Archeologists believe that prehistoric
people drank alcohol beverages. Most likely, a crude form of
beer was discovered by accident when someone mixed barley with
water and then let it sit long enough for stray yeast cells
to settle, triggering fermentation.
The Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Hebrews, Africans, Chinese,
Incas, Teutons, Saxons and various wandering tribes all discovered
beer by various independent means.
Beer in one form or another was known throughout the ancient
world. Marco Polo wrote about Chinese beer, and an ancient Chinese
manuscript states that beer, or "kiu," was known to
the Chinese in the 23rd century BC
Beer played an important role in Egyptian life. It was thought
to have medicinal properties, and in a medical text from 1600
BC, 100 of 700 prescriptions contained beer. Many social customs
revolved around beer. For example, when a young man offered
a young lady a sip of his beer, they were considered betrothed.
By the late 1300s, beer was well established as the national
drink of England. Its refreshing qualities were enjoyed by both
the common folk and the nobility. In fact, Queen Elizabeth I
substituted a potent ale for orange juice as her breakfast beverage.
Many notable figures in history enjoyed the taste of beer. When
Christopher Columbus dropped anchor off the shores of America,
one of the first things offered to him and his crew was a fermented
maize beverage. In one of his letters, Columbus said he found
the natives produced a fermented beverage similar to beer.
Beer played a part in the Pilgrims' decision to land at Plymouth
Rock. A passenger's journal states the Mayflower landed at Plymouth
because "we could not now take time for further search
or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially
our beer."
The first beer produced in America was an ale brewed in 1587
at Sir Walter Raleigh's Roanoke colony in Virginia. It clearly
was not satisfactory, however, as colonists requested that beer
be sent from England, and in 1607 the first shipment of beer
-- which was an ale-- left for America.
Most of the founders of our country were either brewers themselves
or strong advocates of beer. George Washington had his own brew
house on the grounds of Mount Vernon, and his handwritten recipe
for beer -- dated 1757 -- is still preserved.
For thousands of years, beers were made with top-fermenting
yeast. They were ales. The lager beer that we know today was
born only 150 years ago.
The first German lager was brewed in Bavaria. In 1842, Josef
Groll and Johann Eisner produced the first Pilsener beer in
Plzen, Czech Republic, by using soft Pilsener water, local Saaz
hops, local modified malt, and bottom-fermenting yeast from
Bavaria.
The first public brewery in the New World opened in 1633. At
the time, all brews were based on corn or maize and were ales.
By 1810, there were 132 operating breweries in this country,
including the first brewery established in St. Louis.
The lager industry became established in this country in 1840,
when a brewer named John Wagner brought his lager yeast from
Bavaria to his new brewery in Philadelphia. About this time,
European brewers were moving away from ale yeast, and they began
producing more lagers, using this newly found bottom-fermenting
yeast from Bavaria.
With the help of the German immigrants who brought their trade
with them to America, the industry expanded rapidly, reaching
a record number of 4,131 breweries in 1873.
Beer in America
Beer is one of five industries which played a unique role in
America's rise to world economic dominance. The stories of changing
fortunes in the Steel, Coal, Brewing, Ship Building and Textile
industries reveal much about our country's past and present.
Empires of Industry would be useful for classes on American
History, History of Science and Technology, Economics and American
Culture. |
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