The origins of beer are closely aligned with the origins of civilization. While it was originally thought that humans began cultivating grains for making bread, recent evidence from Natufian culture (~10,000 B.C.) suggests that brewing beer may have been the primary motivation for domesticating grains (Hayden, Canuel and Shanse). Specifically, certain tools discovered at Natufian sites, such as “grinding stones,” “stone mortars,” and “stone pestles,” along with grain and liquid storage containers (Hayden, Canuel and Shanse), demonstrate the technological viability of brewing. Unlike the arduous process of fine grain grinding involved in breadmaking, brewing would be a more accessible and expedient way for processing these grains.
What was the motivation to brew beer? Conventionally, it has been believed that beer was preferred as a safer liquid to drink during times when water sanitation was unreliable (Bamforth). With low pH (3.8–4.6) as well as moderate ethanol content, the environment in beer makes it challenging for pathogens to grow (Bamforth). Indeed, there exist many examples of those drinking beer being spared from water contamination, ranging from early …show more content…
Until the 1800s, it was thought that the only necessary ingredients for brewing beer were water, grain, and hops. In fact, this was even codified in Germany in 1516 in Reinheitsgebot, which stated that beer could only comprise of those three ingredients (Hardy). It was not until 1857 that Louis Pasteur discovered microorganisms were responsible for fermentation that yeast was recognized as the crucial ingredient in brewing beer (Alba-Lois and Segal-Kischinevzky); Baker 's yeast was thus aptly named Sacchromyces cerevisae, with cerevisae meaning “of beer”. Since then, culturing strains of microorganisms for food processing has generated a large diversity of novel foods and drinks, as well as enabled brewers and winemakers to refine their
What was the motivation to brew beer? Conventionally, it has been believed that beer was preferred as a safer liquid to drink during times when water sanitation was unreliable (Bamforth). With low pH (3.8–4.6) as well as moderate ethanol content, the environment in beer makes it challenging for pathogens to grow (Bamforth). Indeed, there exist many examples of those drinking beer being spared from water contamination, ranging from early …show more content…
Until the 1800s, it was thought that the only necessary ingredients for brewing beer were water, grain, and hops. In fact, this was even codified in Germany in 1516 in Reinheitsgebot, which stated that beer could only comprise of those three ingredients (Hardy). It was not until 1857 that Louis Pasteur discovered microorganisms were responsible for fermentation that yeast was recognized as the crucial ingredient in brewing beer (Alba-Lois and Segal-Kischinevzky); Baker 's yeast was thus aptly named Sacchromyces cerevisae, with cerevisae meaning “of beer”. Since then, culturing strains of microorganisms for food processing has generated a large diversity of novel foods and drinks, as well as enabled brewers and winemakers to refine their