The History of Beer

 By Bruce Shawkey

It is impossible to say where and when the brewing of beer began. Evidence suggests Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all brewed some form of beer. And by the 13th century, it was a well established industry.

Brewing shifted to Germany as early as 54 A.D., and there it remained as a stronghold to this day. 

Also, beer brewed in the city of Budweis (in what is now the Czech Republic) appears in the year 1256. It should come as no surprise that Anheuser Busch adopted the name Budweiser as its signature beer. Although universally known, today's brew differs greatly from that made eight hundred years ago.

In the thirteenth century we see laws enacted to ensure the purity of beer and protect the occupation of brewers. Here is a summary of those laws:

1. No one shall brew beer on Sundays or on the solemn feasts of the Holy Virgin.

2. No one shall set up in the brewery who has not served a five years’ apprenticeship, and been three years a partner with a regular brewer.

3. Nothing shall enter into the composition of beer, but good malt and hops, well gathered, picked, and cured, without any mixture of buckwheat, darnel, etc., and the hops shall be inspected by juries, to see that they are not used after being heated, moldy, damp, or otherwise damaged.

4. No beer yeast shall be hawked about the streets, but shall be all sold in the brew-houses to bakers and pastrycooks, and to no others.

5. No brewer shall keep in, or about, his brew-house any cows, oxen, hogs, geese, ducks, or poultry.

6. Casks, barrels, and other vessels made to hold beer, shall be marked with the brewer’s mark, in the presence of a jury.

7. No master brewer shall have more than one apprentice.

8. A widow may employ servants in brewing, but may not take an apprentice.

It has been suggested that this humble beverage saved civilization. The Discovery Channel's "How Beer Saved the World," put forth several notions, chief among them that beer was a safe alternative to contaminated water, promoting public health. Beer was often safer to drink than contaminated water because the brewing process killed many harmful microorganisms. Beer also had an influence on major events in human history such as the building of the pyramids in Egypt and the creation of modern medicine.