After a long day at work many people like to stop off at their favorite bar and have a cold beer.  To say this is something unique is, of course, naïve but to say this is anything that modern man thought up is also a bit on the naïve side as well.  People have been making beer in one form or another for thousands of years and it just goes to show that when you discover something worth while it will probably stick around for a long time.

It is estimated that making beer has been going on for as long back as 6000BC and that just goes to show why beer is considered one of the world’s oldest, and potentially one of the first, beverages and why making beer has such a rich history.  There is chemical evidence that ancient Egypt was making beer as early as 3500BC and when you can put physical evidence to it that means that beer predates almost any other man made beverage ever created.

Some experts will even go as far as to put the process of making beer on the same level of importance as the ability to make bread and that making beer is one of the cornerstone developments that has allowed man to create civilization as we know it today.  Think about it, the ability to create a beverage like beer can be one of the reasons why technology like your laptop computer exists today.  Beer and the internet never seemed like such a natural combination before.

It is estimated that monasteries in Europe began selling commercial made beer as early as the 7th century AD but it was not until the 19th century that beer was really starting to pick up steam and the idea of making beer in one part of the world and then selling it in other parts of the world was beginning to take shape.  It is estimated that over 35 billion gallons of beer are brewed each year and the largest brewer in the world is a European company called InBev.

The largest American brewer in the world is Anheuser Busch and the two conglomerates are preparing to merge into one huge beer maker some time in the near future.  But with so many companies all over the world making beer in all different parts of the world, and demand always very strong, there will always be room for the huge conglomerates and the micro breweries in this world as there can never be enough people making beer as far as consumers are concerned.

Lager And Ale

One of the most important things to understand about making beer is the difference between lager and ale.  Ales are brewed with top fermenting yeast while lagers are brewed using bottom fermenting yeast.  Ales are typically thicker and sweeter in taste than lager and ales is very popular in Europe.  Lagers are the most common type of beer made today and they are fermented at temperatures much lower than ales which makes it necessary to transport them in cooler temperature vehicles.  Lagers are cleaner looking and tasting and preferred in countries like the United States.

From the kings of Egypt to the pilgrims that landed on Plymouth Rock beer has been around for a long time and from all indications it will be around for a long time to come.

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