Banjo
07-15-2010, 02:53 PM
From: Belgianshop.com Newsletter
Millenniums of beer & brewing
Archaeologists excavating a mysterious mound in Syria have uncovered what may be humankind's oldest city, a habitation dating back over 5,500 years. The city at Tell Hamoukar is as old as those of Mesopotamia, and may be even older. Within the walls they have found remnants of an active communal baking industry, with myriad dome-shaped bread ovens. Not surprisingly, they also found a brewery, where these ancient people brewed a barley-based beer, Syria-Wide reports.
"They were almost certainly a beer-drinking people," said Professor McGuire Gibson, of the University of Chicago, leader of the dig at Tell Hamoukar. It has been well known that beer brewing was a central part of man's early civilizations. Some of the oldest Sumerian tablets are inscribed with recipes for beer, and barley brews also played a role in ancient Egyptian and Northern European cultures. But this latest discovery is one more confirmation of the crucial role beer has played in human history. In the millenniums since, beer has remained a greater or lesser part of various human societies.
It wasn't a big deal for the Romans, but the aggressive, exploratory Anglo-Saxon civilizations have ensured the spread of beer to every corner of the modern world. People in Asia, Africa and South America drink pilsners and lagers descended from the Bohemian and German brews of the 19th century. It is quite astonishing that this ancient drink, albeit in modern form, is still such a part of human culture in the 21st century. The question is why? One reason for beer's survival may be its properties as a healthful tonic. New research has found that beer flavored with hops contains a powerful anti-oxidant. Other research has pointed to a reduction in risk for heart attack and stroke. These beneficial aspects of beer may have contributed to its longevity, even though the specific protective effects were not known.
Just as the pharmacopeia of healing herbs has been passed down from generation to generation, knowledge of the wonderful characteristics of beer was transmitted through the millennia. It is likely that people have also valued beer for its properties in helping transform behaviour. It makes people gregarious and inquisitive and allows them to view the world through a new prism.
Beer should not just be a commodity, a "box" to sell. A brewery should never be referred to as a "plant" or "factory." Beer is beer, a magical substance that has been passed down to us from our ancestors. Next time you crack open a bottle of beer, let your mind wander back to those Ancient Syrian brewers, and the vile stuff they drank and called beer. Then give a silent thanks to master brewers who carried on this ancient art, and for making beer better than it has ever been made before.
Millenniums of beer & brewing
Archaeologists excavating a mysterious mound in Syria have uncovered what may be humankind's oldest city, a habitation dating back over 5,500 years. The city at Tell Hamoukar is as old as those of Mesopotamia, and may be even older. Within the walls they have found remnants of an active communal baking industry, with myriad dome-shaped bread ovens. Not surprisingly, they also found a brewery, where these ancient people brewed a barley-based beer, Syria-Wide reports.
"They were almost certainly a beer-drinking people," said Professor McGuire Gibson, of the University of Chicago, leader of the dig at Tell Hamoukar. It has been well known that beer brewing was a central part of man's early civilizations. Some of the oldest Sumerian tablets are inscribed with recipes for beer, and barley brews also played a role in ancient Egyptian and Northern European cultures. But this latest discovery is one more confirmation of the crucial role beer has played in human history. In the millenniums since, beer has remained a greater or lesser part of various human societies.
It wasn't a big deal for the Romans, but the aggressive, exploratory Anglo-Saxon civilizations have ensured the spread of beer to every corner of the modern world. People in Asia, Africa and South America drink pilsners and lagers descended from the Bohemian and German brews of the 19th century. It is quite astonishing that this ancient drink, albeit in modern form, is still such a part of human culture in the 21st century. The question is why? One reason for beer's survival may be its properties as a healthful tonic. New research has found that beer flavored with hops contains a powerful anti-oxidant. Other research has pointed to a reduction in risk for heart attack and stroke. These beneficial aspects of beer may have contributed to its longevity, even though the specific protective effects were not known.
Just as the pharmacopeia of healing herbs has been passed down from generation to generation, knowledge of the wonderful characteristics of beer was transmitted through the millennia. It is likely that people have also valued beer for its properties in helping transform behaviour. It makes people gregarious and inquisitive and allows them to view the world through a new prism.
Beer should not just be a commodity, a "box" to sell. A brewery should never be referred to as a "plant" or "factory." Beer is beer, a magical substance that has been passed down to us from our ancestors. Next time you crack open a bottle of beer, let your mind wander back to those Ancient Syrian brewers, and the vile stuff they drank and called beer. Then give a silent thanks to master brewers who carried on this ancient art, and for making beer better than it has ever been made before.