Beer Studies
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13,000 years ago, beer  began conquering the planet ...

Beer originated with the domestication or harvesting of starchy plants: grains, tubers, mealy fruits, ... Starch became mankind's primary source of food and the main substrate for its fermented beverages. Even before the Neolithic period, hunter-gatherers made fermented drinks from whatever food they could find: fruit, honey, cereals, tubers, roots and various plants. The Neolithic revolutions that took place all over the world, mostly independently of each other, fostered the development of beer itself, that is a fermented beverage made from starch. The deep socio-economic relationship between the storing of starch and the brewing of all kinds of archaic beers crystallised in this early period for all human societies.

These revolutions have upset human existence: agriculture, animal husbandry, exploitation of lands, forests and water, new tools, sedentary life, territorial logics, first cities, social hierarchies,  enslavements and conflicts. We inherit their technical and social consequences for better or worse. They have also shaped the making and use of fermented beverages among almost all the peoples of the world.

Beer continues to find a prominent place among fermented drinks. Its ubiquitous presence amongst almost every ancient cultures or civilisations, as well as contemporary peoples has resulted in a very long, rich and exciting history.

Beer has undergone constant change over the course of millennia. Its modern avatar, the crystal-clear, fizzy, cool drink, has only been around for two centuries. A drop in the ocean compared to its long history. Most of the metamorphoses of beer have been swallowed up in the turmoil of the past. Others have survived. Beer-Studies dives into this historical bubbling. To explore the many facets of this odyssey, Beer-Studies offers several approaches.

The global history of beer is presented in the  World history section.

Did you know? sheds light on key facts and dispels some preconceived views about beer.

The basic technologies and technical diagrams can be found in the Fundamentals section.

Explorer section gives access to specific articles via a world map and a timeline.

The Advanced studies section publishes a range of historical studies and in-depth essays about beer.

The Resources section lists bibliographies, sources, and websites devoted to the beer history.

 

Beer barrel floating in an ocean of beer
To be read without moderation
Beer barrel floating in an ocean of beer

Last published articles

Beer and social complexity of Amerindians in 16th
Carob beer brewed by the Amerindians in the 16th
Amerindian brewer peoples from Rio de la Plata 16th
History of African beers
The Amerindian beers and the psychoactive plants.
The maize beers brewed by the Zuňi people.
All articles

Did you know it?

Did women brew beer before men made it?
Beer is brewed only with barley malt, hops and water. Not so sure !
How long have we been brewing beer?
North American Indians brew beer before the coming of Europeans
To know more

Call for contributions !

Help us to translate documents about beer in ancient China or ancient Japan.
Ditto for Spanish documents.

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