History Of Beer, And Where You Can Go To Experience It

Today beer is regulated (and even forbidden in some countries) and is not legal for those under 21 in the United States. How is it perceived and regulated today may make its important role in history as a basic stable rather surprising. Beer is one of the oldest (and most important) drinks produced by humanity.

Today the Czech Republic has one of the best beer traditions and an eye-watering amount of breweries making it ideal for a beer tour. Alternatively, visit Belgium on a beer tour where their beer traditions are even UNESCO listed.

The Ancient History Of Beer

Beer can be produced from almost any cereal that can undergo spontaneous fermentation with certain sugar because of wild yeasts in the air. There have been chemical tests of ancient pottery jars that suggest beer was being produced as much as 7,000 years ago in what is today Iran.

The first chemically confirmed barley beer dates from the 5th millennium BC in Iran. There are also written records of beer truly ancient records like in Mesopotamia and Egypt.

• Oldest Evidence: From As Much as 7,000 Years Ago
• Oldest Known Recipe: Found On A Sumerian Tablet From 6,000 Years Ago

A Sumerian tablet from 6,000 years ago in Mesopotamia shows people drinking through reed straws from a communal bowl of what could be beer. Evidence in China dates back as far as 5,000 years ago. It is believed that beer could have been produced in Europe from the Neolithic times.

• Oldest Recipe: The Oldest Recipe is In a 3,900 Year Old Sumerian Poem Honoring The Patron Goddess Of Brewing Called Ninkasi

Bread and beer are two of the technologies that have been argued to have been central to humanity's creation civilization - like in the article "Ale's Well with the World" in Scientific American.

Beer was an important source of calories and an important safe drink when water was dangerous and contaminated.

Europe's Beer History Is The Monk's of the Monasteries

It may seem strange Europe's experts in brewing the alcoholic beverage were the monks. But it is deeply rooted in the monasteries of Europe - even today. During the Middle Ages, beer was the most consumed drink in Europe.

• Middle-Ages: Beer Was the Most Consumed Drink In Europe

There weren't age limits or regulations like today, instead, pretty much everyone drinking it - the young and the old (children included). Most of the brewing was performed by women as a way to earn their household a little more money. In these days beer was often of poor quality.

• Safety: Beer Was Safer Than Drinking Water.

But then the quality of beer improved significantly as the Cistercian monks got into the game. Beer the Industrial Revolution beer was mostly produced locally and often by the European monasteries.

• Monks: Expert Brewers Before The Industrial Revolution

There is evidence of monasteries brewing from the 5th century. These monasteries grew to be big in the business - it was one of the few "vices" (so to speak) that monks were allowed to do.

• Monasteries: Over 600 Monasteries Were Brewing

At the peak, there were over 600 monasteries merrily brewing up their drinks brewing their own beer. Monks of these times followed a principle of self-sufficiency and it was also their duty to show hostility to pilgrims and visitors on the road. They had to provide visitors with food and drink - and beer was an important stable (that they could even make a little money).

• Monk Consumption: Monks Drank Up To 4 Liters (Over a Gallon) of Beer Daily
• Fasting: Monks Relied On Beer For Nutrition While Fasting
• Empty Stomach: Appearantly Monks Could Handle Drinking On An Empty Stomach!

The monks were also some of the few people of Europe who were literate and they kept careful records of their recipes and worked long and hard to make their beers better. This was partly driven by their belief that they were working for God and sub-par beer would be an offense.

They also needed to figure out new ways to mass-produce the beer to keep up with growing demand - so to that end, they added hops. Hops had a number of benefits including acting as a preservative.

Visiting Monastery Breweries

Today beer enthusiasts in Europe go on historic beer brewery tours of the monasteries that produced beer long before the industrial revolution and the emergence of industrial breweries.

• Trappist Beer: Brewed By Trappist Monks Today There Are 14 Monasteries Producing Trappist Beer

Two of Prague's most well-known monastic breweries are the Strahov Monastery and Břevnov Monastery (although monks don't brew there any longer).

According to Booking.com, some of Europe's top monastic breweries are:

• Belgium: Westvleteren Brewery in Vleteren
• The Netherlands: De Koningshoeven Brewery in Berkel-Enschot
• Austria: Engelszell Abbey in Engelhartszell
• United Kingdom: Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Whitwick
• Italy: Tre Fontane Abbey in Rome

Next: Est. 1673! Grab A Beer At "America’s Oldest Tavern” In Rhode Island