Beer: A Global History

122 Pages·2014·3.12 MB·English

by  Gavin D. Smith

BEER
Edible Series Editor: Andrew F. Smith is a revolutionary series of books
EDIBLE
dedicated to food and drink
that explores the rich history of cuisine. Each book reveals the global
history and culture of one type of food or beverage.
Already published Apple Erika Janik Barbecue Jonathan Deutsch and Megan
J. Elias Beef Lorna Piatti-Farnell Beer Gavin D. Smith
Bread William Rubel Cake Nicola Humble Caviar Nichola
Fletcher Champagne Becky Sue Epstein Cheese Andrew
Dalby Chocolate Sarah Moss and Alexander Badenoch
Cocktails Joseph M. Carlin Curry Colleen Taylor Sen Dates
Nawal Nasrallah Eggs Diane Toops Game Paula Young Lee
Gin Lesley Jacobs Solmonson Hamburger Andrew F. Smith
Herbs Gary Allen Hot Dog Bruce Kraig Ice Cream Laura B.
Weiss Lemon Toby Sonneman Lobster Elisabeth Townsend
Milk Hannah Velten Mushroom Cynthia D. Bertelsen Nuts
Ken Albala Offal Nina Edwards Olive Fabrizia Lanza
Oranges Clarissa Hyman Pancake Ken Albala Pie Janet
Clarkson Pineapple Kaori O’ Connor Pizza Carol Helstosky
Pork Katharine M. Rogers Potato Andrew F. Smith Rum
Richard Foss Salmon Nicolaas Mink Sandwich Bee Wilson
Soup Janet Clarkson Spices Fred Czarra Tea Helen Saberi
Whiskey Kevin R. Kosar Wine Marc Millon
Beer
A Global History
Gavin D. Smith
REAKTION BOOKS
Published by Reaktion Books Ltd
33 Great Sutton Street
London EC1V 0DX, UK
www.reaktionbooks.co.uk
First published 2014
Copyright © Gavin D. Smith 2014
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by
any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of
the publishers Page references in the Photo Acknowledgements and
Index match the printed edition of this book.
Printed and bound in China
by Toppan Printing Co. Ltd A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library eISBN:
9781780232997
Contents
Introduction
1 Origins
2 Beer in a Commercial World
3 Beer Comes of Age
4 The Art of Brewing
5 Great Brewing Nations
6 Drinking Beer
7 Beer and Culture
Recipes
Appendix: Great Beer Brands
Select Bibliography
Websites, Associations, Festivals and Museums
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index

Introduction
It takes beer to make thirst worthwhile.
German proverb
Beer is the most popular alcoholic drink in the world, with a history stretching
back perhaps as far as 10,000 , and with almost every country boasting some
BC
sort of brewing heritage. While other forms of alcohol tended traditionally to be
limited in their spread and influence by climatic and geographical factors – you
can only make wine if you are able to grow grapes – beer is ubiquitous and its
essential ingredients, in one form or another, can be found almost everywhere.
The popularity of beer throughout the ages has been due to a number of
factors. First is the aforementioned fact that it could be made, and second its
comparative affordability, making it a drink for the everyman. Third, it had
immense value as a drink that would not infect the imbiber with cholera, typhoid
or any of the other diseases easily contracted from polluted water sources, at a
time when clean drinking water was outwith the reach of many. Remarkable
though it may seem from a modern perspective, from 1687 to 1860 patients at St
Bartholomew’s Hospital in London were each allocated three pints of beer per
day, made in the hospital’s own brewery. Beer also had significant nutritional
value – not for nothing has it been been referred to as ‘liquid bread’ – but
perhaps its ultimate attraction has always been its intoxicating nature, imparting
a feeling of relaxation and well-being, provided consumption is kept within
sensible limits.
And that consumption, on a worldwide scale, is really quite remarkable.
According to the Kirin Institute of Food and Lifestyle Report of 2011, during
2010 global beer consumption amounted to 182.69 million kilolitres, the
equivalent of 288.6 billion 633-millilitre bottles. This was an increase of 4.33
million kilolitres (or 6.84 billion 633-ml bottles), or 2.4 per cent, over 2009,
marking the 25th consecutive annual increase.
As we will see, the actual character of the beer consumed around the world
has changed significantly over the centuries, as have methods of manufacture
and the manner and occasion of its consumption. In the pages that follow we will
not only chart the history of beer around the world, highlighting some of the
greatest beer-making and beer-drinking nations, but also examine the drink’s
cultural associations and its versatility as an accompaniment to a wide variety of
foods. We shall focus on the specific heritage of some of the globally best-
known brands, not to mention indicating some of the best places to read about
beer, find out more about its heritage and meet up with like-minded beer
drinkers.
Beer has made a long journey from its origins in around 10,000 to the
BC
twenty-first century, but arguably there is now more diversity in, commitment to
and passion for the subject than there has been for a very long time, and drinkers
have lots of reasons for optimism. So pour yourself a glass of whatever style and
brand takes your fancy, and join me as we explore the global history of beer.
1
Origins
He was a wise man who invented beer.
Plato
Like so many ancient crafts, the origins of brewing are somewhat lost in the
mists of time. A persuasive case can be made for the first brewers being
Neolithic people in what we know today as Kurdistan – within the modern
countries of Turkey, Iraq and Iran. These people were cultivating crops from
around 10,000 and are thought to have developed the ability to make beer
BC
after accidentally discovering the malting process. Perhaps they dried grain
which had become damp and started to sprout in order to preserve it, only to find
that it released the enzymes essential to convert the grain’s starch into
fermentable sugars. Inevitably, qualifications such as ‘maybe’ and ‘perhaps’
occur frequently in any discussion about what happened so very long ago.
It has been suggested that brewing and other methods of creating alcoholic
drinks probably developed independently across Asia, Africa and the Americas,
involving whatever grain crops or fruits were locally cultivable; there is an
anthropological viewpoint that suggests nomadic lifestyles were sacrificed in
order to cultivate crops, principally for the production of beer. This is surely a
possibility, given the seductive powers of alcohol, once encountered!