A Short History of Beer

Beer has been a coveted beverage as early as 4300 BC, as recorded on ancient Babylonian clay tablets, perhaps even earlier to prehistoric times. Being a simple fermentation of any starch or sugar, it appears to have been independently developed by remote civilizations, including Assyrian. Chinese, Hebrew, Egyptian, and even Inca cultures. It has been made from a vast variety of carbohydrate sources and included such herbs as mint, balsam, hay, wormwood, and oyster shells for added flavorings. It has been a popular drink for pleasure, celebration, and medicinal uses.

Early United States history shows Sir Walter Raleigh to be the first beer brewer of the New World in 1587, with the first commercial brewery opening in what is now New York City in 1612. By 1674, perhaps unsurprisingly, Harvard College started its own brewhouse to begin a long, illustrious history of college “keggers.” The founding fathers were beer lovers as evidenced by Samuel Adams operating a commercial brewery and Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both boasting their own private brewhouses.

Many of the thousands of US breweries went out of business as a result of Prohibition beginning in 1920. Bootleg beer was still popular, though this was the beginning of the trend of watered-down beer to increase profits. This trend continues with the American palate now used to weaker beers and the mass-marketing and production of beers after World War II. This is one of the reasons that many American beer aficionados turn to the full-flavored imported beers and microbrews available at the finer sports bars. For a taste adventure in beer, check out a local sports bar or Irish pub that offers a variety of imported beers and microbrews to discover what a great, full-bodied beer can really taste like.