Archeological FoundationsArcheological Foundations

After WW II, there is a lot of archeological focus on the transition from food gathering to food cultivating and its relationship to the development of human civilization.

1952 - Robert Braidwood, Univ. of Chicago, notes that grain found in excavations is always charred, never raw

Archeological foundations (cont)Archeological foundations (cont) Jonathon Sauer, Univ. of Wisconsin botanist

“Bread or beer?” Why did man harvest wild grains?

pre-plow era, plus the fragility of the rachis of cereal grain makes would make the collection of grain for mere food very labor intensive, especially if other food is more readily available

a more rewarding product might, however, prompt interest in this effort

Archeological foundations (cont)Archeological foundations (cont)

Significant argument that the charred grain was not malted grain, so the question has never been satisfactorily resolved

Consequently, more work has established some time frames that enable us to give some sort of historical perspective to beer

Beer “pre-history”Beer “pre-history”

17,000 BCE - earliest traces of Hordeolum spontaneum (wild barley) evolve on the south shore of the Sea of Galilee

7750 BCE - earliest domesticated barley, H. distichum in Jericho area (mixed with wild barley)

6000 BCE - H. hexastichum appears at Ali Kosh (Iraq), domesticated barley

Beer “pre-history” (cont)Beer “pre-history” (cont)

clay pottery appears– 7500 BCE in northern Iraq– 6000-5500 BCE in Syria

This pottery is very porous and more suitable for dry storage rather than wet storage. Techniques for making suitable liquid storage vessels will not come until much later

Beer pre-historical sitesBeer pre-historical sites

Ali Kosh (Iraq)– 6 row barley cultivated

Netiv Hagdud (Israel)– 2 row barley cultivated

Godin Tepe (Iraq)– shard with beerstone

Turkey

Saudi Arabia

Iran

Iraq

Syria

Egypt

““Beer makes Civilization”?Beer makes Civilization”?1986 - Solomon Katz/ Mary Voigt (University of Pennsylvania) 1986 - Solomon Katz/ Mary Voigt (University of Pennsylvania)

propose that beer making led to the domestication of wild propose that beer making led to the domestication of wild cereals. They argue that:cereals. They argue that:

Beer is a better source of calories compared to the wild grain itself

incorporation into the social & religious structure was integral to formalizing a brewing process

““Beer & Civilization”? (cont)Beer & Civilization”? (cont)Katz & Voigt suggest a scenario that would Katz & Voigt suggest a scenario that would lead to brewinglead to brewing

gruel left overnight that accidentally sprouts (malts)

discovery of the sweet taste of the maltheating of the malted gruel to improve tastesubsequent spontaneous fermentation of

heated malt gruel by wild yeast

““Beer & Civilization”? (cont)Beer & Civilization”? (cont)1994 - Tom Kavanaugh, Indiana University publishes 1994 - Tom Kavanaugh, Indiana University publishes

article refuting the premise of beer being the primary article refuting the premise of beer being the primary driver of grain domesticationdriver of grain domestication

absence of good water-tight vesselslack of adequate temperatures for enzyme

production without heating, again the problem of a lack of suitable vessels

Some more beer history:Some more beer history:

6000 BCE- Sumarian tablets with poetry to brewing goddesses Ninkasi and Osiris establish a basis that brewing was likely relegated to women.

This is considered to be the best earliest source of documentation for established brewing!

Calcium oxalate (“beerstone”) residue found in clay jug shards found in western Iraq

Ode to NinkasiOde to Ninkasi

19th century BC Sumaria– earliest known beer recipe

Partially baked bread called bappir (made from barley)

Soaked in waterFlavored with dates, honeySpontaneously fermentedFiltered and consumed immediately

Beer & SocietyBeer & Society

Beer becomes intertwined with politics, religion & the economy by the middle ages with the Catholic Church controlling all aspects of brewing via monasteries

The rise of artisans & trading guilds help spawn independent brewing efforts outside the Church.

Beer & the militaryBeer & the military

Beer has been part of military rations for centuries.

Greek armyRoman armyGermanic armies that conquered Rome!Fredrich the Great expounded on the virtues

of armies fed on beer

Regulations evolveRegulations evolve

Sanitation becomes a major issue as water is often contaminated; it becomes common practice to drink beer as both a food & in place of water.

Government attempts to utilize alcohol as a source of revenue and wrest the control of brewing from the Catholic church as the Reformation sweeps across Europe

Example of regulationExample of regulation

1156- Fredrick I issues the Justitia Civitatis in Augsburg (prohibiting short pours)

1447 - Munich ordinance; beer can only be brewed with barley, hops, & water

1516 - Reinheitsgebot (Bavarian Beer Purity Act); beer can only have barley, hops, & water

It ain’t about quality!It ain’t about quality!

Reinheitsgebot insured:protection for the barley farmersmaintained price supports for beer (insures

steady tax revenue)that wheat would be available for bread

making

Beer continues to evolve:Beer continues to evolve:

Hops, long used by continental brewers for stability finally gains acceptance in Britain around mid-1700's.

Taxation limits strength & gravity of British beers, particularly in Scotland.

The isolation of yeast by Pasteur helps foster the advent of Lagers.

Beer in AmericaBeer in America

Settlers arriving in America are forced to drink water as critical brewing ingredients are withheld for sailors.

Enterprising Americans find new adjuncts to counter the limits on supply & taxation by the British Crown.

Taverns become the focus of all business & legal activity, as well as political gatherings.

The American Revolution threatens essential beer production.

Some more beer history:Some more beer history:

German immigrants bring brewing practices to America & abroad, significantly threatening ale production.

Refrigeration creates opportunity for mass-production of Lagers but doesn't become popular till after the Civil War.

Dark clouds on the horizonDark clouds on the horizon

The Rise of Temperance through the ealy 20th century begins to affect public opinion on consumption.

1916 - August Busch introduces Bevo to the market, a non-alcoholic beer

1919 - Volstead Act (18th Amendment) passes Congress

Jan 29, 1920 - Prohibition begins

““Survival of the fittest”Survival of the fittest”

Prohibition kills more than 200 domestic breweries, but homebrewing gains in popularity

Top 10% corporate breweries struggle to diversify into other markets: – Coors to Ceramics– A-B to malt products– Schlitz to candy & chocolate– Miller to cereals.

Relief at last?Relief at last? FDR repeals Prohibition in 1932 & raises the limit

of alcohol in beer to 3.2%. Apr 7, 1933 - Brewing ban ends Dec 5, 1933 - Prohibition completely ends Clerical error in the drafting of the signed bill

allows home wine making but continues to prohibit home brewing.

WWII - women become part of the American workforce; shortage of grains force the use of adjuncts such as corn & rice which become a common feature for the American Lager grain bill.

Diversity becomes possibleDiversity becomes possible

1975 - Fritz Maytag (of laundry machine fame) introduces Anchor Steam Beer and starts the Microbrew Revolution

Mid-1970s – Charlie Papazian leads efforts to get home brewing legalized; founds the American Hombrewer Association

1978 – President Jimmy Carter signs legislation permitting home brewing (if allowed by the state)

TodayToday

There are now as many, if not more, small breweries than prior to Prohibition

Home brewing starting to re-emerge as a popular hobby as costs of commercially available craft beer (ingredient costs and taxes) continue to rise

Consumers become more sophisticated in their preferences for all types of alcohol