Early Beer Brewing Techniques

Preparing barely and wheat for brewing beer is documented back to the Neolithic period.

According to Beer and Brewing, "the preparation of grains, specifically barely and wheat, can be documented in the Near East as early as the Neolithic Period," which began around 9500 B.C.E. Archaeological records indicate beer served as both a beverage of choice and as a dietary supplement for the last 10,000 years. Lisa C. Kahn, Curator of Education, Tampa Museum or Art, states, "Archaeologists Solomon Katz and Mary Voight attribute the development of settled agriculture to the desire to brew beer."

Neolithic

Barley and wheat preparation is documented as early as the Neolithic Period. Grinding tools, sickle blades and seeds found at Neolithic sites indicate the processing of these grains. The processing of barely and wheat led the way to the first brewing of beer.

Mesopotamia

The third millennium reflects a regulatory system that rationed beer as pay for workman and both lower and higher officials. The oldest known beer recipe is Sumarian. Through inscriptional evidence in Mesopotamia, at least eight different recipes for beer exist. As yeast is a completely airborne product, ancient brewers may not have known about its existence.

Egypt

Egyptian beer brewing is well attested with beer residue found in pre-dynastic jars. Inscriptions from the Third and Fifth Dynasties indicate grinding the grain into flour, then making into a dough in which yeast was added and the mixture allowed to rise. The loaves were broken into a water-filled vessel and allowed to ferment. Little evidence shows the use of additional flavors and aromas. There is some evidence to suggest lupin, skirret and safflower may have been used for medicinal purposes.

Europe

Celts, Germans, Britons and Iberians each had individual methods of brewing beer. Beer and Brewing states: "Roman Writer Pliny recorded in his Natural History that beverages were made from cereals in Gaul and that these were not mixed as wine was." He noted when the grain was steeped to make beer, the foam was skinned off and used as leaven for bread.

References

• Beer and Brewing: Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries
• iFood: How was the Ancient Beer Brewing Done?
• New York Times: In Ancient Egypt, the Beer of Kings Was a Sophisticated Brew
• Beers, Ciders, Pubs: Beer Brewing Techniques, Then and Now

Resources

• Brewing Techniques: Kitchen Anthropology: Home Brewing an Ancient Beer