I recently had the pleasure of reading an article regarding the history of the brewing of beer. The author stipulates that the brewing is the reason for civilization. At first blush, I looked upon this statement with some skepticism. The REASON for civilization? This is a bold statement. Certainly there needed to be more than this. What of fire, and Agriculture! Metallurgy! The wheel! Religion! Certainly there needed to be more. A pragmatist would say absolutely and unwisely relegate the art of brewing to footnote status.
Of course, if one is a bit more romantic, the rise of civilization as a result of ale is a wonderful thought. Certainly men could take on "more pragmatic" endeavors. But brewing, brewing was above them all. The noblest of endeavors. In the long ago, before the discoveries of Pasteur, fermentation was a gift from God (It still is by the way). And gifts from God are not to be taken lightly. In this day in age there are certain things we as modern folk take for granted. The first and foremost is the availability of potable water. In the days of yore quite a bit more thought needed to be given to what one poured down his gullet. If men didn't they died.
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| Sneaking a drink of the Divine |
Beer was a fine remedy for this. No more worries about water. More time to think about civilizing the wild. As bonus the beer even gets you drunk. Rumor is the Mayflower stopped where it did because the kegs in the galley were kicked. Suddenly you have America.
If you ever have the time and inclination I recommend you make a batch of beer from grain. When you get past the technicality of it all there is something mysterious, ancient and wonderful about the endeavor. It's like staring at a campfire or looking at the stars.
At the very least the fruits of the labor will leave you inebriated.
Cheers!
